A BDSM Club Wants To Move To River North, And The NIMBYs Are Not Happy
By Kate Shepherd in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 10, 2015 9:22PM
via Google Streetview
A local BDSM club is trying to move to a space in River North, but some residents are not pleased with the thought of bondage, leather and kink aficionados passing through their neighborhood.
Galleria Domain 2, which calls itself "Chicago's premier kink club," posted a public notice this week for a new location it wants to open at 356 W. Superior St. They filed an application with the city's Department of Planning and Development, Bureau of Zoning and Land Use on Nov. 4, according to the public notice.
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Thankfully, wherever there's someone trying to discretely enjoy the benefits of living in a liberal and diverse city, you can count on there being a NIMBY to complain about it. Nearby resident Amanda Cespedes told DNAinfo that there isn't "any person in any neighborhood across the country," who would want a sex- or BDSM-themed club sharing a street with their home. (Editor's note: we're sure that's an exaggeration. And we'd personally take a private club with a 1,600-word confidentiality policy over another 5 a.m. bar any day)
Cespedes said she and other neighbors near the Superior Street location are emailing each other about the notice and may lobby Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) to block the club's move.
The club, for members only, currently operates near the border of Bucktown and Logan Square, close to the intersection of Western Avenue and North Avenue, but does not provide the exact address to the public.
The club wants to open on the second floor of the building, which already contains a car wash and is next to a condo tower. The building's owner, Daniella Zipperstein, told DNAinfo that she didn't have a problem with the private club: "I'm not American so this means nothing to me."