Local News in Brief : Bathhouse Given a Reprieve

A Wilmington bathhouse that was ordered shut has been given a 2-year reprieve by the Los Angeles Board of Zoning Appeals, but residents say they intend to challenge the decision.

Associate Zoning Administrator Darryl Fisher had ordered the gay bathhouse, Glen’s 1350 Club West at 510 W. Anaheim St., to close under a Los Angeles city ordinance that prohibits sexually oriented businesses near residential neighborhoods.

Bathhouse owner Glen Moering said he was exempt from the ordinance, which provides extensions until March 6, 1991, for establishments that are bound by a lease and would suffer hardship by closing. Fisher, however, ruled there was no hardship because the lease was between Moering and a corporation that he owns.

Fisher was overruled Saturday by a 4-0 vote of the board. Moering’s lawyer, Richard Weston, described the decision as “eminently sound.” A busload of Wilmington residents traveled to downtown Los Angeles to attend the hearing; if they appeal the matter, the City Council will be required to make a decision.