PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Sugar Shack, a former strip club in the Cully neighborhood, will soon be a place of good for the whole community.
The club was purchased by a coalition headed by Living Cully: A Cully Ecodistrict, which is a coordinated effort by Hacienda CDC, the Native American Youth and Family Center and Verde to drive environmental investments into the Cully Neighborhood.
“It sends the wrong message [to have a strip club] because there’s a lot of good hard working here instead of that. It looks bad, it looks wrong,” Brenda Maza, a community member, tells KOIN.
The coalition paid $2.75 million for the site, which includes 2.1 acres of land and a 26 thousand square foot building.
“The community has been pushing for change at this site for more than 20 years and now finally the community is in control of its destiny,” Tony Defalco with Living Cully tells KOIN.
The space will offer opportunities and options for everyone nearby, Defalco says. “The community has long articulated its needs. It needs retail services, it needs a community center, a youth recreation center, it needs business incubator opportunities.”
Defalco says there is a 3 year plan for the building and the land around it. It’ll promote healthy growth in the Cully neighborhood and enhance its overall image.
However, volunteers and donations are still needed.
“Together we are working to improve livability in this neighborhood,” Defalco said.
