CIRCUIT NEWS BITS SF/NORTHERN CA.
<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0><script> (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-47423994-1', 'fortunecity.ws'); ga('send', 'pageview'); </script> <center> <br> <div> <script language="javascript" type="text/javascript" src="http://ad.broadcaststation.net/ads/show_ad.php?width=728&height=90"></script> </div> </center> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=20% BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="0ce30303.gif"> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#CC3300" FACE="Jolt" ><B>SHORT CIRCUIT</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC99" FACE="Courier New" ><B> </B></FONT><B> </B></div> <div> <B> </B><A HREF="cover__unofficial_flag_rag.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="TWIRL EZINE"><U><B>|</B></U></A><A HREF="cover__unofficial_flag_rag.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="TWIRL EZINE"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Flagging in the Park"><U>Flagging in the Park</U></A> | <A HREF="twirl.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FEATURE STORY"><U>FEATURE STORY</U></A> | <B>CIRCUIT NEWS BITS SF/NORTHERN CA.</B> | <A HREF="twirl_ezine13.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WORLDWIDE CIRCUIT NEWS BITS"><U>WORLDWIDE CIRCUIT NEWS BITS</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="04258020.gif" border=0 width="600" height="2" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <A HREF="cover__unofficial_flag_rag.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="TWIRL EZINE"><U>back to Cover </U></A> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000BF" FACE="Courier New" > </FONT></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000BF" FACE="Courier New" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF33FF" FACE="Courier New" > </FONT><A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Flagging in the Park"><U><B> Page </B></U></A><A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Flagging in the Park"><U><B>1</B></U></A></div> <div> <B> </B><A HREF="twirl.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FEATURE STORY"><U><B> Page 2</B></U></A></div> <div> <B> </B><B> </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#00FF00" FACE="Xpressive" ><B> Page 3 </B><A HREF="twirl_ezine13.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WORLDWIDE CIRCUIT NEWS BITS"><U><B> </B></U></A></FONT><B> </B></div> <div> <A HREF="twirl_ezine13.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WORLDWIDE CIRCUIT NEWS BITS"><U>page4</U></A></div> <bR> <div> CIRCUIT NEWS BITS SF/NORTHERN CA.</div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="0d13b280.gif" border=0 width="571" height="40" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>177 Townsend owner says she won't be bought out by developers </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>by Ed Walsh </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The 177 Townsend nightclub, home to San Francisco's most popular </B></div> <div> <B>gay dance venues, is digging in its heels to keep developers from </B></div> <div> <B>giving it the boot before its lease expires in August 2002. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"They've tried to buy me out," said the club's event manager and </B></div> <div> <B>part-owner, Audrey Joseph. "I've refused to be bought out and </B></div> <div> <B>until my lease is up, I ain't leaving. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"And if he [a lawyer representing the developers] wants me out, </B></div> <div> <B>he's going to have to pay me $5 million to leave a day before the </B></div> <div> <B>lease is up. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"I've spent a fortune on lawyers but no one is pushing me </B></div> <div> <B>out," Joseph added. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The club has been in existence since 1988 and is home to several </B></div> <div> <B>gay clubs including Club Universe, Pleasuredome, Futura, Club </B></div> <div> <B>Asia, and Club Q. The cavernous club is made up of two rooms, </B></div> <div> <B>the front and larger space is known as Club Townsend, the rear </B></div> <div> <B>room with a separate entrance on King Street is called the King </B></div> <div> <B>Street Garage. The rooms are merged during big events. The club </B></div> <div> <B>has been host to a number of functions benefiting various gay </B></div> <div> <B>community and AIDS organizations. Joseph was nominated as a pride </B></div> <div> <B>parade grand marshal this year in recognition of the charitable </B></div> <div> <B>work she's facilitated through the club. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The club's location - just a block from Pacific Bell Park - puts </B></div> <div> <B>it smack in the middle of a rags-to-riches South Beach </B></div> <div> <B>neighborhood once better known for its cheap rents and </B></div> <div> <B>abandoned buildings. Joseph said she found it amusing that her </B></div> <div> <B>club is one of the area's last holdouts. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"They are going to have all these tall buildings and my tiny </B></div> <div> <B>little club," she said. "I'm going to look like the house of a </B></div> <div> <B>little old lady who won't move." </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>David Levy, an attorney for the consortium of developers who </B></div> <div> <B>bought the 177 Townsend building last February, told the Bay Area </B></div> <div> <B>Reporter that they would like to demolish the club next summer </B></div> <div> <B>but Levy added that would be contingent on the developers </B></div> <div> <B>reaching an agreement with the club to give up its lease a year </B></div> <div> <B>early. The proposed development would also have to clear various </B></div> <div> <B>Planning Department hurdles and would have to win exemption from </B></div> <div> <B>some zoning requirements before being approved. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>According to the project's environmental impact report, plans for </B></div> <div> <B>the site include a 10-story mixed-use building that would include </B></div> <div> <B>retail, office, and live-work space as well as a parking </B></div> <div> <B>garage. It would include 55 live-work units and 657 parking </B></div> <div> <B>spaces. The project would also result in the demolition of </B></div> <div> <B>office space adjacent to the club that is now occupied by the </B></div> <div> <B>high-tech firm Xuma.com. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Although she has almost two years before she has to move the </B></div> <div> <B>club, Joseph told the B.A.R. that she is actively looking for a </B></div> <div> <B>new space. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"The Port of San Francisco has been helping us out," Joseph </B></div> <div> <B>said. "There are some dead buildings along Illinois street that </B></div> <div> <B>the port owns and some of them are gorgeous. But they need to </B></div> <div> <B>be retrofitted and that would cost a lot of money." </B></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>