Club Velvet owner wins on ballpark sign

One thing that won't have to come off at the strip club Velvet is the antiballpark sign on the building's facade.

Richmond officials have dropped for now their claim that the large, yellow banner is illegal because it exceeds size limits outlined in the city's zoning ordinance.

In an April 22 letter to Shockoe Bottom club owner Sam Moore, Zoning Administrator William C. Davidson said the city now agrees the sign is exempt as a political campaign sign because it cites bills that were considered by the General Assembly this year.

The bills, which were approved, relate to a financing plan for the stadium, part of the proposed Shockoe Center development.

Davidson added that the exemption will expire July 1, when the bills become law, because that's when the political campaign ends.

Moore, who is being represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, has 30 days to challenge the city's interpretation with the Board of Zoning Appeals.

Rebecca Glenberg, legal director of the ACLU of Virginia, said yesterday that no decision has been made on an appeal, but she added that the city's interpretation remains flawed.

She said the zoning exemption for political campaign signs must be interpreted broadly and that Moore's sign would qualify even if it did not refer to the ballpark-financing bills.

She also said the July 1 date that the bills become law is of no consequence.

"We believe it is exempt now, and it will be exempt after July 1," she said.

In January, Moore put up a large sign that says, "No Stadium in Shockoe" and "Why Make Developers Rich at Tax Payers Expense."

Later, a smaller sign was attached that refers to the ballpark-financing bills. City officials estimated the larger sign at about 300 square feet -- more than twice the size of what would typically be allowed.

The Board of Zoning Appeals considered Moore's initial appeal last month but delayed a decision so that zoning officials could consider the addition of the smaller sign. The matter was to be heard today, but the new interpretation makes it moot.

Contact Will Jones at (804) 649-6911 or .