NEW YORK — Local moralists have targeted the recently opened branch of Romantic Depot adult boutique in Brooklyn, using outdated zoning regulations to argue that it should be treated as an “adult entertainment establishment” and not as a retail store.
In a case more typical of Georgia than New York City, a small group of Brooklynites have decided to protest the boutique located on Fulton St.
A few locals are upset that Romantic Depot has been classified as a “retail store” by the Department of Buildings, the Bronx's News 12 reports.
The Clinton Hill location is the chain's 11th in the tri-state area.
“Residents say they feel this is misleading and that the shop appears to be an ‘adult establishment’ by the advertisements in the windows,” News 12 explained.
Outdated zoning regulations in New York, dating from a time when pleasure products were limited to establishments that often included porn booths and peep shows, prohibit “adult establishments” from being “within 500 feet of a house of worship or school.”
The Romantic Depot is about 200 feet from a church, and within 500 feet of another church and a mosque. In dense urban centers like New York, it is virtually impossible to find commercial real estate that complies with that zoning requirement outside of marginal or industrial zones.
“I understand this business is not particularly accepted,” Christina Chavez, executive director of local business organization FAB Fulton, told Brooklyn Paper. “But if they’re not doing anything illegal, then at the end of the day, they have a right to be there just like the deli across the street or the restaurant next door.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Buildings told Brooklyn Paper that Romantic Depot has also “been the subject of several recent 311 complaints, and that agency inspectors will visit the store to conduct a field inspection.”
The Clinton Hill Romantic Depot will continue operating, although News 12 reports that there’s already a lawsuit challenging its status.
