A local adult nightclub hopes to relocate this year to a vacant industrial space on Wallace Street in New Haven.
Peter Forchetti, owner of Scores Gentlemen’s Club & Steakhouse, is seeking a special exception from the Zoning Board of Appeals to permit an adult cabaret with liquor service at 203 Wallace St.
The board is expected to discuss the application at its upcoming meeting next Tuesday, May 14, at 6:30 p.m. at the Kennedy Mitchell Hall of Records, 200 Orange St.
Scores needs a new home because its current location in a former clock factory is slated to be redeveloped into apartments.
“It is a perfect location and it fits what we need,” Forchetti said of the 203 Wallace St. building. “It is not just a strip club but a venue and a steakhouse, with comedians, DJs and singers. We’ll have magicians and saxophone players, it will be something like what you would see in Las Vegas.”
The business requires a variance for the new location because it is 1,100 feet from an existing adult cabaret, and city zoning requires a minimum distance of 1,500 feet.
Scores, which features exotic dancers, is now at 85 St. John St., near Hamilton Street, a short distance from the proposed location.
“The site will be replacing the current adult cabaret, Scores, located in the Hamilton Street Clock Building, slated for conversion to residential use,” the application states.
The nearest adult business is the Catwalk on East Street, which is 1,100 feet away. The application asserts that the new location on Wallace Street would increase the distance between adult uses from approximately 700 feet to 1,100 feet, because the Catwalk and Scores are currently 700 feet away from each other.
Attorney Miguel Almodovar of New Haven is representing the applicant, who maintains the proposed location is in a “less conspicuous” spot. Forchetti asserts that the 1,500 feet required buffer between adult cabarets creates an unreasonable hardship.
“Given the size of the Mill River [industrial] zone, the Catwalk’s position excludes all other adult cabarets from the area,” the application states. “As applied, the 1,500-foot buffer actually pushes adult cabarets away from the center of the zone and closer to residential ones. This is the exact opposite of the intent of the ordinance, which contemplates this use being kept away from residential and other sensitive uses.”
The proposal is for the business to be open at night. The plan includes rearranging interior spaces, exterior vestibules and a patio. The parking area asphalt would be replaced, and the applicant expects to have 52 parking spaces. There would be no changes to the footprint of the building, according to plans on file at City Hall.
As is frequently the case with adult establishments, some nearby residents and business owners have expressed concerns about the proposed use and its potential impact on the area. Forchetti asserted that his business will be an improvement.
“The area is deteriorating with a lot of empty buildings, and we want to revitalize it,” Forchetti said. “We will have lights and security and make the area a lot safer.”
Forchetti said he currently employs about 50 people, and he hopes to expand this at the new location to 70 to 100 people.
“People may not like what adult entertainers do, but for some, it puts food on the table for their young children,” Forchetti said. “I don’t want people to lose their jobs.”
According to zoning officials, the project will also need to be reviewed by the City Plan Commission. If the project gets all the necessary approvals, renovations to the building would take about six months, according to Forchetti.
Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com
