No gentleman's club on Bay Area after all

Photo by Jenny Montgomery

A gentleman's club says it won't be opening on Bay Area Boulevard near El Camino Real, but the Clear Lake City Community Association isn't taking any chances.
In an e-mail received from Luks Cabaret last night, the club said there was NEVER any plan, at any point" to operate a sexually-oriented business at any location in the Clear Lake area.
Please, let's get that clear," the club wrote. There is not information reflecting such."
Nonetheless, last night the Clear Lake Community Association's board approved having its attorney amend an existing lawsuit against the property owner to include a request for a temporary restraining order to prevent the cabaret from opening, said Leslie Alvarez, the association's general manager. Although Luks has informed media outlets that it won't be opening at the site, the association has not yet been told such, she said.
We just want to be on the safe side," Alvarez said.
This morning the website for Luks Cabaret was down, but as of Tuesday, it had been active and listed an address of 1055 Bay Area Blvd., a vacant building that used to be Baja Party Bar. That's next to Taco Bell, just down the street from a bowling alley and the Freeman branch public library.
Before going offline, Luks' website said the gentleman's club had been established in 2009 and was set to open in 2010.
Luks had also put up a post on Craigslist.com advertising employment opportunities and a telephone number for the club had a recording that touted it as Houston's answer to casual dining with an unmatched beer selection combined with a sleek entertainment experience."
In its e-mail, Luks wrote that for reasons unrelated to the permitted use of the building, management had decided several weeks ago, to NOT open any business at the said location."
There is no credible news story here, and we hope that these unwarranted rumors and assumptions can end here," the club wrote.
The Clear Lake City Community Association has been warning that the property owner, ANA Enterprises, would be in violation of deed restrictions if Luk's were to open a gentlemen's club there.
I find it appalling that they would even propose doing something so close to a playground, a Little League field, a public library and a recreation center where we offer day camps," said Alvarez. "It is within walking distance of all of those things. I find that horribly appalling."
The community association has already filed a lawsuit against ANA Enterprises alleging that the vacant property has become run down in violation of deed restrictions and that the business owes $4,700 in unpaid levies, Alvarez said.
The association learned about Luks about a month ago when one of its unemployed homeowners called after seeing that the gentleman club's was advertising a restaurant manager job on Craigslist, she said.
Alvarez said the association sent a cease-and-desist letter to ANA Enterprises and contacted the company's legal counsel, which she said was unaware of the situation. Since then, the association has not heard from ANA Enterprises.
The association and its outraged residents have been working closely with Houston City Councilman Mike Sullivan, whose district includes parts of the Clear Lake area.
It's just a horrible location for a business of this kind," Sullivan said. It is against the community standards. I'm not in favor of this type of business anywhere, but certainly 1055 Bay Area Boulevard is a totally inappropriate location for it."