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A Two Notch Road club has been warned by Columbia officials to stop allowing dancing by semi-nude women.
Fantasy Island, a non-descript storefront at 3134 Two Notch Road, on Friday was sent a notice by certified mail that it is violating a city zoning law.
City officials, some in not in uniform, determined the club was operating as a sexually oriented business, which is not permitted under the zoning law that allowed the club to open years ago.
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A notice of violation was mailed to John Bush of Columbia. Efforts Thursday by The State newspaper to reach Bush, who is listed on the business license as the owner of Fantasy Island, were unsuccessful.
Teams of city inspectors, including police officers, went to the club twice in January to determine if the performers in G-strings and bikini tops danced on a regular basis, said zoning administrator Johnathan Chambers. Dancing with exposed buttocks meets the city’s definition of nude dancing, he said.
Chambers said he and other inspectors saw women dancing on stage and performing lap dances for tips.
Inspectors went to the club after getting information that the club might be violating the law. At no time during the inspections were the women completely disrobed, he said.
The club has been open for more than a decade.
In September 1999, two men were shot in the club’s parking lot after an argument spilled outside. One man, Derrick Mosby, died.
Zoning officials plan to go back to the club to determine if women still are dancing in G-strings, Chambers said. If the practice has not stopped, the club will be issued a ticket. The owner would then be called into city court where, if found in violation of the city code, penalties range from $470 to $885 per day and include the possibility of 30 days’ jail time.
This is the second fight in a month between the city and a sexually oriented business.
Taboo Adult Superstore on Devine Street clashed with City Council, which in December adopted a new law for sexually oriented businesses after Taboo was granted a permit to open under the city’s zoning code.
The store is operating under a temporary license while the city decides if it meets the newly established standards, including that it be at least 700 feet from any protected property such as a residence.
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