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Butta J’s Backs Down On Strippers

by Thomas MacMillan | Feb 3, 2010 3:42 pm

(21) Comments | Commenting has expired | E-mail the Author

Posted to: Dixwell

Thomas MacMillan Photo Facebook Photo Faced with an outpouring of neighborhood opposition, Ashmun Street bar owner Joyce Bellamy has taken exotic dancing off the table—but still has plans for live entertainment.

The Butta J’s owner (pictured) said on Tuesday that exotic dancing will no longer be part of a request she filed with the state Department of Consumer Protection. She had sought to host exotic dancing at her Ashmun Street bar, formerly known as Cardinal’s. She’s still looking for a green light to have comedy and acoustic acts.

Even without exotic dancing, top Dixwell cop Lt. Anthony Duff and Alderman Greg Morehead said the bar continues to pose neighborhood and policing problems. The club is a site for loitering, littering, fights, and sometimes gunfire, Duff said.

Butta J’s is located at the nexus of a revived residential section of the Dixwell neighborhood and Science Park. It is an area of particular interest to Science Park and to the city. The Board of Aldermen on Monday approved a proposal allowing Science Park to create a daycare center diagonally across from the bar.

So when a public notice appeared several weeks ago that Butta J’s was seeking permission to have exotic dancing, Science Park teamed up with the city’s Office of Economic Development, Yale University, and neighbors to oppose the request. The bar was also looking for permission to have comedians and live acoustic acts.

“We don’t think this is good for the neighborhood,” said David Silverstone, president of the Science Park Development Corporation.

Science Park hired attorney Carolyn Kone to draft an official remonstrance opposing Butta J’s application to the state. The document was submitted on Monday. It’s signed by Lt. Duff, Alderman Morehead, Mayor DeStefano, as well as neighbors and Yale and Science Park officials. Read it here.

The six-page document says exotic dancing at the bar would “have a detrimental effect upon churches, schools and charitable institutions.” Among the affected local institutions would be the Montery Place housing projects, the Farmington Canal Greenway, Wexler-Grant School, Science Park, and the nine churches within a half-mile of the bar, the filing states.

Further, Butta J’s “has been conducted as a lewd of disorderly establishment,” the letter reads. The police department sees it as a “hot spot” for crime. There was a murder at the bar in April 2008, and there have been numerous fights, lots of noise, and gunfire, the document says. Exotic dancing would exacerbate these problems, the letter argues.

The remonstrance is accompanied by a letters of objection from the Dixwell Community Management Team and from Michael Morand, associate vice president at Yale. Also included is a letter from Deputy Director of Zoning Thomas Talbot, stating that allowing exotic dancing would be an extension of non-conforming property use.

The bar has for years been a source of littering, noise, public urination, gunfire and “fights that start at that club and end elsewhere,” Duff said. “The clientele attracted to that club poses a challenge.”

Butta J’s has been a drain on police resources, Duff said. He said he has asked Bellamy to hire extra-duty officers to provide bar security on busy nights. “They flat-out refused.”

Reached by phone on Tuesday, Bellamy sought to put her exotic dancing request in context.

“We don’t want to turn it into a strip club,” she said. There were no plans to have regular stripping at the bar, she said. She said she requested permission for exotic dancing because patrons had requested the option of having strippers at private events, like bachelor parties.

Exotic dancing wouldn’t be “on an everyday basis,” Bellamy said. “We want to keep the bar’s integrity.

“We’re not looking to do that type of amusement in a full time manner at all. We don’t want to cause the police or the neighborhood any hardship.”

Speaking to Lt. Duff’s concerns, Bellamy said loitering is not a problem at the bar, and her staff pick up trash regularly. The bar has its own security and can’t afford to hire extra-duty officers, she said.

Later, after speaking with Lt. Duff herself, Bellamy said she plans to withdraw the exotic dancing request.

“We do respect how the neighbors feel,” she said. “We’re not trying to ruin the neighborhood.”

Bellamy said she plans to go forward with the other two parts of her request to the Department of Consumer Protection. She still wants to be able to have comedy and acoustic acts at the bar.

She held out the possibility of reapplying for exotic dancing permission in the future. “Maybe after proving ourselves to the neighborhood,” she said.

But the bar has a significant reputation to live down. Even without exotic dancing, Lt. Duff said, “My concerns will still be the same in terms of quality of life.” He said he would still like to see extra-duty officers at the bar. “We’re looking at that establishment to be a good neighbor.”

“There’s always going to be question with Butta J’s,” Alderman Morehead said. There have historically been fights and violence outside the club. “Exotic dancing was just the icing on the cake.”

“The Exotic dancing was beyond the pale,” Silverstone said. He said Bellamy’s request for permission to have comedy and acoustic acts is still an extension of a nonconforming use.

Claudette Carveth, spokesperson for the Department of Consumer Protection, said a public hearing will be held on Butta J’s proposal. She declined further comment.

Comments

posted by: Shut Down on February 3, 2010 3:51pm

The Cardinals, Butta J’s, whatever you wanna call it needs to be shut down. The neighbors need to get together and do like what was down to the Taurus. With all of the development that is going on, the Cardinal’s brings down the value for that neighborhood. In black areas, there are nightclubs on every other block. They will not be missed! Shut em down

posted by: Morris Cove Mom on February 3, 2010 4:05pm

Just when you thought Cardinal’s closing meant no more drinking and violence, along comes “Butta J’s”. Wow. I know that liquor licenses must be applied for and granted, and that they are allocated based on population, but do we really need another bar? And in this family-centered neighborhood? Maybe if we can shut down more seedy bars, more shady places, we will have less to be afraid of, less to hide from, in that neighborhood, and in all good family-based areas.

posted by: 2Unique on February 3, 2010 4:14pm

What happened to the Jazz Club that Joyce proposed in February, 2007, 3 months after she bought the place?

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2007/02/cardinals_fight.php#comments

posted by: Robert Smuts on February 3, 2010 4:24pm

In addition to the city staff who worked hard on this issue (Lt Duff, LCI, Economic Development), the community members, the strong effort by Alderman Greg Morehead, and others mentioned in this article, Alderwoman Alfreda Edwards was very helpful getting the ball rolling on this, as she was critical with the Taurus earlier. Credit where credit is due.

- Rob Smuts, Chief Administrative Officer

posted by: Dixwell livin on February 3, 2010 4:44pm

gotta say i have had my doubts abot morehead in the past but he did real good here. keep up the work and next time i might just vote for you

posted by: Strippers on February 3, 2010 5:31pm

New Haven needs more strip clubs. It would have been nice if Butta J’s could have featured some sexy ladies. All we have is Stage Doors and The Cat Walk—both in same part of town. We could use a few more strip clubs. Its innocent fun.

posted by: Hood Rebel on February 3, 2010 6:31pm

I am glad that mess of an idea for Exotic Dancers is over. Now let’s deal with the garbage outside of the building. Saying that your staff get rid of trash “regularly” is an insult.

If you live or do business in a high traffic area, downtown, in the hood, or anywhere you KNOW that you have to get rid of trash in front of your property as much as several times a day. That’s what good neighbors do.

You don’t let garbage sit on your sidewalk and on the street in front of your property all weekend long waiting for the cleaning crew to come-by on Monday, by which time the trash have blown all over the ‘hood. That behavior at Butta’s is clearly dissing the community. The city needs to fine Butta J’s for that violation every day the trash is sitting out there.

Please show some respect for our neighborhood and clean up your trash several times a day!!

posted by: P.Paine on February 3, 2010 6:50pm

Only wives of the Science Park Employees would object to the dancers. A Jazz club is a good idea. Open for lunch is sounding even better. You can have all of the construction workers stopping in for happy hour also. Maybe only have a dancer after 8pm or 10. ,if at all.
Maybe limit the Liquor stores in the area.

posted by: robn on February 3, 2010 7:45pm

A strip club in a residential neighborhood with a daycare center and churches? Is that wrong?

posted by: robn on February 3, 2010 7:48pm

P.S.

Isn’t there some way that Norton Street could make a New Urbanism tie-in to the issue of strip clubs? How does the strip club exactly fit into Andres Duany’s model of the perfect neighborhood? How does driving to strip clubs impact the gross injustice of the interstate highway system? NHI reader need to know.

posted by: Sunday on February 3, 2010 8:24pm

What happen to a Bar with Class? Where did they all go. A nice Jazz or Blues Club with working class people a nice lunch dinner for two etc. Just because the Bar is in the hood don’t mean it got to be ghetto. Fix it up on the outside do some landscaping, take pride in your neighborhood. Please no strip joint.

posted by: Threefifths on February 4, 2010 10:50am

The question should be ask why is Science Park hired attorney Carolyn Kone to draft an official remonstrance opposing Butta J�s application to the state.

Beware this property today and your property tomorrow. Look like shades of gentrification.

posted by: Miss Manners2 on February 4, 2010 12:54pm

More churches….less bars.

posted by: Old Punk on February 4, 2010 2:32pm

With all the work being done in that area, it seems like a restaurant/bar with maybe some jazz could be very successful. Why not go for something bistro style and try to increase the establishment’s profits and improve the neighborhood? It confounds me that the owners wouldn’t want to take advantage of the $ coming into the area.

posted by: dave coon on February 4, 2010 2:33pm

Robn, your answer is drive-thru strip bars. I saw one in Seaside, Florida once.

The real crime here is allowing Anheuser-Busch to provide your bar signage for free. Note the beer logos on every sign. Not exactly great graphic design…

That picture window open to the street will be covered in black plastic in a N.Y. minute if there are strippers inside the joint.

posted by: robn on February 5, 2010 11:09am

If we don’t allow exotic dancing, what will construction workers do for extra income?

Flashdance

...sorry…it had to be said…

posted by: chuck on February 5, 2010 12:13pm

Robn must have had an Eighties Movie Marathon lately

posted by: robn on February 5, 2010 2:07pm

No but seriously, if this were allowed it would be a nightmare on Ashmun Street.

posted by: really?! on February 8, 2010 1:38pm

and what, Threefifths, you prefer strip clubs to gentrification? ok, how ‘bout you do that in YOUR neighborhood. come on!

posted by: king on February 11, 2010 5:50pm

This is a bad idea. This club should have been shut down along time ago. There is shootings and drugs going on at this club. Along with underaged drinking. The littering and parking along residential areas is also bad. The owner should be charged for the clean up of her customers litter. The kids on the street can’t get a good nights sleep. SHUT IT DOWN. There is no place for that club.

posted by: LucyLu on February 12, 2010 7:34pm

Some people only respect money. Yale PLEASE buy out Buttaj’s

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