Residents push back against proposed strip club near Harbison area

A proposed strip club near the Harbison shopping area is drawing early pushback from nearby residents.

But the business owner, Jimmie Ellis, says he is following every regulation and keeping everything "above board" as he lays the groundwork for opening the club, which would have topless — but not fully nude — dancers.

"I don't have a plan or desire to do anything illegal," Ellis said. "I don't know that you're ever going to change someone's perception about adult business. It has stigmas. ... I'm not out to offend anybody."

Ellis' club, Savannah's Gentlemen's Club & Steakhouse, has applied for a license to sell alcohol and for a Lexington County zoning review for a site on Fernandina Road, near Costco, Northern Tool + Equipment and a Quality Inn hotel.

Those steps have set off concerns for some residents of nearby communities such as Whitehall and Harbison, who say a business of this sort would not be welcome in the area.

"I don't think anybody denies their right to exist, but typically, they are placed in appropriate areas for adult entertainment," said Jim DeLong, a resident of the nearby Whitehall neighborhood, which sits across the highway from the Fernandina Road site. "This is just a business that, in our minds, is going to stick out like a sore thumb and not going to do anything to benefit the neighborhoods."

The biggest concern for neighbors, he said, is the belief that a strip club might attract crime, "whether it's altercations in the parking lot or people having too much to drink and then driving in the neighborhoods after drinking. ... We're really concerned about the crime aspect of it."

Because the property sits right on the border of Richland and Lexington counties, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott is keeping an eye on what business is proposed there.

"I am very concerned about another strip club opening," Lott said. "It’s a fact that these locations attract crime that negatively impacts the surrounding community. I would hope that Lexington and Richland county officials work together to prevent the new strip club from opening. I have heard from numerous citizens in the area who are against the club. I hope their voice is heard."

Dave Grove, a resident of the nearby Harbison neighborhood, agreed a strip club would not be a welcome business near homes in his community. He also noted that a gymnastics center sits not far from the site — "It's not the kind of next-door environment that I think most of us would like to have our children be associated with," he said.

But, Grove said, "I think everybody is prejudging the owners. Who knows what they have in mind for a gentlemen's club. ... I think most of us have seen a few movies, and we have some notion of what we think, but we ought to give the owners their due and their time to speak."

Ellis describes Savannah's as an "adult nightclub" and said it is distinct from a strip club in that will operate with a mentality of respect. Ellis operates another club by the same name in Winston-Salem, N.C.

"If you treat people respectfully, you get respectful behavior," Ellis said. "I believe that the best nightclubs that do well for the longest period of time make the most money by what doesn't happen in your club. ... I believe the magic word in our business is 'tease.'"

To be clear, it's no sure bet that Savannah's will open on the Fernandina Road site.

The property owner, West Columbia lawyer Stanley Myers, said he is fielding proposals from multiple businesses interested in leasing the site. No contracts have been signed, Myers said.

Myers said that whatever business he chooses to operate on his property "is going to be legal and is going to be right."

"I understand the neighbors' and the homeowners associations' concerns, but at this point, I just think that everyone has the right to pursue legal business interests," Myers said. "Until something occurs that would cause them to believe something is illegal, I think a person has the right to pursue" their business.

A number of residents have written letters of protest to the state Department of Revenue, which reviews applications for and issues alcohol licenses for businesses. Any business receiving an alcohol license first has to be inspected by the State Law Enforcement Division.

Sexually oriented businesses also have to meet strict local zoning guidelines.

The Fernandina property is split by the Richland-Lexington county line. Savannah's is considering a building and main parking lot on the Lexington County side of the divide, according to Lexington County spokesman Harrison Cahill.

The Lexington County property's current zoning would allow a strip club if the business meets the county's other guidelines. A public hearing would not be required before the club opens, Cahill said. The Richland County side of the property is not zoned to accommodate a sexually oriented business.

In both counties, a strip club must be at least 1,000 feet away from any residential use, church, day-care center, elementary or secondary school and several other types of property.

It appears the proposed site of Savannah's could fall close to the 1,000-foot mark from a nearby church, New Covenant Assembly. An official measurement has not been done yet, Cahill said.

This story was originally published March 28, 2018 at 2:58 PM with the headline "Residents push back against proposed strip club near Harbison area."