Congress Avenue – the Main Street of Texas – is about to “make it rain!”
An “adult oriented use” has been proposed for the site at 422 Congress Ave. Lanai and other various cocktail lounges inhabit / have inhabited the space previously.
The city permitting office states: “The applicant is proposing a conditional use application for an adult oriented business” and the business is referred to as a “nightclub” in parts of the application for permit.
The legal term “adult-oriented business” means an adult arcade, adult bookstore, adult cabaret, adult lounge, adult novelty shop, adult service business, or adult theater. Link to Austin’s land development code. I think most observers would agree that “adult oriented business” is clearly a euphemism for strip-club.
This would be a first for downtown Austin, at least this century.
More to come.
it’s the same guy that illegally opened rockstars cabaret on north austin and was shut down within 6 months.
Envy Nightclub probably male strippers
Haha… plot twist!
I’m assuming it would only occupy one of the four floors of the building, unless someone is making an absurd, guaranteed-to-lose gamble. So which floor would it be? Lanai seems to do pretty well for itself, and there aren’t really such things as open air rooftop strip clubs. I haven’t really seen the Geisha Room, but when I pass by on Saturday nights it does seem there’s an upscale crowd there. Shiner Saloon is kind of a wasteland, so that’s my bet. (Whatever horrible dance club is occupying the basement this month can probably breath easy, until they go bankrupt like all the others in that spot before them.)
Another area of speculation: Who is doing this? I can’t imagine one of the giant national chains like VCG Holding or Rick’s Cabaret going for downtown, since they seem to be more of the drive-to locations. As far as local guys, the Palazio/Expose franchise seems a bit too down-market to invest the crazy capital this would require. So I’m betting the Yellow Rose guys have officially gone insane with hubris.