The property owners of local strip club Night Moves accepted an $800,000 purchasing offer from the City of Bloomington on Thursday. The property is located at 1730 S. Walnut St.
Property owners Larry and Cathy Holtz agreed to the purchase on the stipulation that a Phase 2 environmental study be conducted prior to approval from the Bloomington Redevelopment Commission, according to a release from the city. If all conditions are approved and the results of the environmental study are accepted by the city, the sale would be complete in about 90 days.
Rodney Domer, owner of Night Moves, has 15 business days to match or top the city’s offer on the property.
Domer has the right to first refusal of the purchase, which allows him to make an offer to the Holtzes before the offer is finalized.
The redevelopment commission has 30 business days from the agreement to approve the sale.
Domer, who has managed Night Moves for 12 years, said he believes the city will have to honor the remaining three years on the lease he has with the building.
He said he also hopes he receives assistance from the city and the Holtzes if the strip club is forced to relocate.
Though he would ideally like to stay in the current location, Domer said he has kept a good relationship with the Holtzes since the purchase agreement talks.
“He will work with us either way,” said Domer, referring to Larry Holtz.
However, the zoning laws in Bloomington require sexually oriented businesses, such as Night Moves, to be more than 500 feet from places of worship, schools, libraries, residential districts and parks, which severely limits options for relocation.
Domer expressed concern for the job security of his current staff should relocation be needed.
“It would be so hard to kick them to the curb,” he said.
The city has been working to purchase the property in order to start developments on Switchyard Park, a 65-acre city park built on the McDoel Switchyard property. The city has already purchased nearby properties, including the land of former restaurant Wee Willies.
The park will also include 18 acres of the B-Line trail.
The city upped its offer to the Holtzes from $750,000 to $800,000 last week.
The city and the Holtzes must wait for approval from the city redevelopment commission to finalize the agreement.
