Kenny Guido
Well-known member
Town serves Farmingdale adult store with violation
BY CHAU LAM | [email protected] 9:19 PM EST, March 3, 2008 Article tools
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Saying an adult-theme shop in Farmingdale is located too close to a residential area, Babylon town officials Monday slapped a notice on the business and warned all who enter the store that they're breaking the law.
Supervisor Steven Bellone said the Peek-A-Boo shop -- which sells sex toys, adult videos and lingerie -- is 200 feet from homes, well inside the 500 feet limit mandated by town code.
"The owners of this establishment have demonstrated that they do not care about the laws of Babylon or the laws of the state," Bellone said Monday during a news conference held outside the shop, which is located at 200 on Route 110.
One of Peek-A-Boo's owners, Vinny Lombardo Jr., said town officials are unfairly targeting his business because they don't like adult-theme shops.
Last year, town officials tried to shut down his other shop, Sneak A Peek, which opened in August, 2007 on Sunrise Highway in West Babylon, Lombardo said. In that case, town officials said the store was located too close to a school and a children's gymnastics center.
"It sounds like harassment to me," Lombardo said Monday.
Peek-A-Boo is located on the commercial strip along Route 110 but there are homes behind the shop.
The store manager, Bradley Mard, said there are two chain-link fences and a buffer separating Peek-A-Boo and the residential area. And, Mard said, there is no direct access from the shop to the homes.
"This is nothing more than Steven Bellone grandstanding to gain votes because it's an election year," said Mard.
Even though the notice town officials slapped on the front door of Peek-A-Boo Monday said anyone who enters the store is breaking the law and could be arrested and put in jail for up to a year, Bellone said the town has no intention of arresting customers and workers.
Bellone said the town only wants to make customers aware of the violations.
In both cases, the town's quality of life task force issued numerous summons to Peek-A-boo and Sneak A Peek -- which carry fines ranging from $250 to $2,000 -- for violations that included not having a permit to put up a sign to operating an "adult use" store within 500 feet of residential area.
Any retail shop that has sells "significant" quantities of adult toys, videos, and other paraphernalia is considered "adult" use, said town attorney Paul Margiotta.
The court matters on the two stores are pending.
BY CHAU LAM | [email protected] 9:19 PM EST, March 3, 2008 Article tools
http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);
Saying an adult-theme shop in Farmingdale is located too close to a residential area, Babylon town officials Monday slapped a notice on the business and warned all who enter the store that they're breaking the law.
Supervisor Steven Bellone said the Peek-A-Boo shop -- which sells sex toys, adult videos and lingerie -- is 200 feet from homes, well inside the 500 feet limit mandated by town code.
"The owners of this establishment have demonstrated that they do not care about the laws of Babylon or the laws of the state," Bellone said Monday during a news conference held outside the shop, which is located at 200 on Route 110.
One of Peek-A-Boo's owners, Vinny Lombardo Jr., said town officials are unfairly targeting his business because they don't like adult-theme shops.
Last year, town officials tried to shut down his other shop, Sneak A Peek, which opened in August, 2007 on Sunrise Highway in West Babylon, Lombardo said. In that case, town officials said the store was located too close to a school and a children's gymnastics center.
"It sounds like harassment to me," Lombardo said Monday.
Peek-A-Boo is located on the commercial strip along Route 110 but there are homes behind the shop.
The store manager, Bradley Mard, said there are two chain-link fences and a buffer separating Peek-A-Boo and the residential area. And, Mard said, there is no direct access from the shop to the homes.
"This is nothing more than Steven Bellone grandstanding to gain votes because it's an election year," said Mard.
Even though the notice town officials slapped on the front door of Peek-A-Boo Monday said anyone who enters the store is breaking the law and could be arrested and put in jail for up to a year, Bellone said the town has no intention of arresting customers and workers.
Bellone said the town only wants to make customers aware of the violations.
In both cases, the town's quality of life task force issued numerous summons to Peek-A-boo and Sneak A Peek -- which carry fines ranging from $250 to $2,000 -- for violations that included not having a permit to put up a sign to operating an "adult use" store within 500 feet of residential area.
Any retail shop that has sells "significant" quantities of adult toys, videos, and other paraphernalia is considered "adult" use, said town attorney Paul Margiotta.
The court matters on the two stores are pending.