Pastor shares complaints about Hustler Hollywood store; planning commission says public is ‘misinformed’

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - Some Shreveport community members are speaking out over the proposed opening of a store that sells adult products.

Hustler Hollywood is slated to open in the Financial Plaza in west Shreveport.

[RELATED: Hustler Hollywood coming to west Shreveport]

Pastor Juan Bryant with the Logos and Life Community Church says he believes the store will be located too close to a school and several churches in the area.

“When I would leave Huntington we would walk down Rasberry Lane and come up Financial Plaza around that way to go to the McDonald’s and the other stores that are there. Now, these children will have to walk past an adult store. Who knows what’s going to be offered in there,” he said.

The Metropolitan Planning Commission says they have heard complaints like the one Bryant is making. They say the public is misinformed.

“I think that the citizens jumped the gun. They did not give us an opportunity to determine exactly what is going there before they started accusing us of not being transparent with the neighborhood. We are aware of where the high school is. We are aware of where the apartment complexes are. All of those things are being considered,” said Alan Clarke, executive director with the commission.

Clarke said the commission received an application earlier in October for the store and has initiated a review process. They say as of right now, the business appears to be a retail outlet store because it does not have enough adult-like materials to be considered an adult store.

“Adult stores are determined by the percentage of adult-type materials within the walls of the retail outlet. We have two classifications. The full-blown sexually-oriented business, which is 50 percent or more of the actual products being sold are of adult nature. Then we have a business that is 20 percent or more of the actual items that are being sold in a retail space is dedicated to specific adult uses. It appears that this particular store has less than either one of those percentages and therefore it’s basically a retail outlet store like any other store,” Clarke said.

Clarke said the Shreveport Police Department makes the final decision on what type of store Hustler Hollywood is.

“The police determine whether this is an adult store or a sexually-oriented business. What’s happening right now is the facility is being renovated. They’re doing some remodeling inside the store. There’s nothing in the store,” said Clarke.

Despite the legalities, Bryant says the store extends mixed signals to the neighborhood.

“I’m just saying it’s not a good look. Sometimes just because it’s legal, doesn’t mean it’s right. You can do things that are legal, but is it right?”

The commission says if Shreveport police determine Hustler Hollywood is a sexually-oriented business, which they say isn’t likely, then it would require a public hearing. If that happens, there would be a Neighborhood Participation Plan for the business to receive a special use permit.

“There’s no protocol or requirement before a determination is made to alert the community what this possibly could turn into until we know exactly what this is. If it turns out to be a sexually-oriented business, then it would have to have a special use permit that would require a public hearing we had also required to have a neighborhood participation plan meaning where they would meet with the neighborhood and share with them exactly what would be happening at that location,” Clarke said.

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