DETROIT — A plan to bring a Larry Flynt Hustler strip club to downtown Detroit could be revived after council members said this morning they want to reconsider their earlier vote to reject a license transfer that would have paved the way for the venue.
The owners, HDV-Greektown LLC, want to open the club at 415 E. Congress and have a federal lawsuit pending against Detroit that claims it’s illegal to halt the entertainment and topless activity license transfer.
Council Pro Tem Monica Conyers said this morning she wants to reconsider her no vote. The council is expected to vote this afternoon.
In the first vote on Wednesday, those voting against the license transfer were council members Brenda Jones, Kwame Kenyatta, Martha Reeves, JoAnn Watson and Conyers. Voting for the license transfer were council members Sheila Cockrel, Alberta Tinsley-Talabi and Ken Cockrel Jr. Councilwoman Barbara-Rose Collins was absent.
The owners first asked for the transfer in June 2003 but the city council has refused to act on the request. If council approves the transfer, the state would still need to approve it as well. Lawyers for the owners said the strip club, which could be one of the biggest in the state, could open by early next year.