After years of trying to find a parcel of land that would conform with local ordinances that call for a 1500 ft separation between an adult establishment and residences, churches and schools – Bobby Cannon found the perfect spot to build the Bare Elegant Show Club (B.E.S.C.); unfortunately, it was only the perfect spot for ten days.
“Someone at the Sheriff’s office tipped off the owner of the adjoining property and they dropped a trailer right next to the land we were looking,” Cannon told AVN.com.
The trailer appear just ten days after Cannon filed a request for a permit to build the B.E.S.C., at that location, ending a five-year search for the right location.
The 17-foot five-wheel trailer doesn’t even have electricity or water, but is currently occupied – and that was enough for the Sheriff’s department to turn down Cannon’s request for a permit.
Cannon is no stranger to law enforcement; he’s been convicted twice on misdemeanor charges of promoting prostitution that led to his spending less than a year in jail.
Cannon says those convictions stem from his hobby - he’s an amateur photographer who recruits women from Texas Tech for photos he sends to Playboy. His dealing with local officials have led to Cannon being nominated twice for the Hugh Hefner First Amendment Award.
Lubbock is a dry city, where liquor can only be sold in package stores. A nude bar like the B.E.S.C. was intended to be has to operate on a B.Y.O.B. basis. So the location that Cannon had chosen was critical to the success of his enterprise – it was only 100 feet from the main strip of stores that sold alcohol.
Cannon questions the motivations of the landowner who placed a trailer close enough to ruin his permit. “He’s not worried about the traffic or the degradation of his property. There are already 10-12 liquor places just down the road,” he said.
An appeal was filed this morning. Now, county commissioners will appoint a citizen’s committee to hear Cannon’s appeal within ten days.
"The problem with this is that the trailer can be moved anywhere. What exactly is a dwelling? I don't think that qualifies," Cannon said.
Cannon is a shareholder in B.E.S.C., LLC., the company that is trying to build the club. If the club is ever built, he'll be appointed general manager of the club.
