INDIANAPOLIS — There's a completely new plan for a former east side strip club that shut down after three separate shootings last spring.
A community meeting was held Tuesday night at the Irvington Presbyterian Church, where neighbors got the chance to hear the new plan for a sports bar and weigh in on the property’s future.
“It was fighting every night. It was revving of engines every night, it was loud music. It was just completely out of control,” said Matthew Gallagher who lives across the street from former Club Paradise.
Gallagher said he’s felt the direct impact of living by the former strip club in the 5200 block of English Avenue since last December.
“It’s terrifying nobody wants to have a bullet come through their house,” Gallagher said.
Gallagher said a bullet came through his living room following the shooting at the former club on April 10.
Despite heightened security measures the club still had three separate shootings within 30 days last spring.
After the last incident in May the owner told WRTV they voluntarily decided to shut the club down.
Now the same ownership is trying to reopen the site with a completely new concept.
“The plan is for an all-ages sports bar. Most importantly it will be open for lunch and dinner. The hours will be 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. and we think that’s probably the best solution to any of the problems,” said Jeffrey McKean, the attorney for the business.
McKean told WRTV most of the incidents that happened at the former club site typically occurred after midnight.
He said the business owners, worked with IMPD, city Councilor Andy Nielsen, and neighborhood associations to try and turn the former club into a family-friendly establishment.
It’s now set to reopen as “English Sports Bar and Grill, with new changes including no longer having a stage or the old sign outside.
“They’ve already put in a pool table, they already put in darts. There are plans for trivia nights, karaoke, those sorts of activities for people to come in the neighborhood hang out in a nice environment,” McKean added.
McKean said their goal is to bring something new to the neighborhood, while working alongside the community to ensure safety.
In Tuesday's meeting, McKean talked about having a 90-day probationary period to test out the new concept and check-in with the community.
“We would have checkpoints where we could meet the neighborhood groups along the way to make sure there weren’t problems and things going on," said McKean
The more people that are paying attention to issues like this the more pressure there is on business owners to run a safe business run a safe bar,” added Gallagher.
Despite the new vision some neighbors WRTV spoke to still said they are not sold on the idea and want to see the site shut down for good.
The property has been the site of a cabaret since the 1970s.
However, the current owner said they plan to give up its Cabaret License and made a commitment to never be that kind of establishment under their ownership.
They say they want to focus more on food now and are working to expand the kitchen.
The plan is to reopen the new sports bar and grill mid-August.
They are set to have a hearing about a liquor license on August 5 at the City-County Building a 9 a.m.
