DECATUR, Ga.—Toyko Valentino, an adult retailer with locations throughout the state of Georgia, was denied a building permit at a new location it was building on the Lawrenceville Highway in the Greater Decatur area, according to local news reports.
Juliana Njoku, the county’s planning and sustainability director, told representatives for the Tokyo Valentino Erotique company that they did not adequately disclose the intended use of the property.
DeKalb County’s official statement says, “Following a thorough administrative review, the County has determined that the building permit and related business license applications associated with this property contain incomplete and inconsistent information regarding the intended business use.
“As a result, the building permit has been revoked, and the business license application remains incomplete pending further documentation from the applicant. … Specifically, the applications did not fully disclose the intended use of the premises at the time of submission, and subsequent filings identified the sale of adult-oriented materials. This change in use requires a different level of zoning review and compliance with County ordinances that regulate adult-oriented establishments.”
In an email seen by AVN, sent by a representative for Tokyo Valentino to Njoku, the company emphasizes that it believe the revocation of the building permit is a misunderstanding.
“It is Tokyo Decatur’s intention to comply with local ordinances to be a compliant good corporate citizen,” writes Michael S. Morrison for Tokyo Decatur, the firm responsible for the Greater Decatur location. “We are a proud and vocal participant in the LGBTQ+ community.”
The facts of the letter indicate that Tokyo entered into a lease with the management company of the property at 1850 Lawrenceville Highway, Suite 200. Under the lease, the landlord of the property, Air Hospitality Group, is to remediate the space to be up to code.
Air Hospitality Group contracted with MSM Builders LLC to remediate the space before the transaction was complete. This required a building permit between the landlord and the property management company. The denial of the building permit was likely due to DeKalb County officials assuming that Tokyo Valentino would be a 100 percent adult-oriented business, which is not permitted in the county for specific zoning purposes.
“’Tokyo Valentino’ is only a retail store that will be selling less than the allowable 20 percent threshold of marital aids,” Morrison wrote to Njoku in the letter. “We mostly serve the LGBTQ+ community. This location has no live entertainment, nor video booths, etc. Tokyo is no different than the ‘Spencer’s’ stores found in malls all over America.
“Tokyo is happy to sign any document affirming its intention to comply with DeKalb County code,” Morrison added. “It is always Tokyo’s intention to be a good corporate citizen, and proud supporter of the queer community.”
