Dozens of Wright City residents packed city hall last Thursday and expressed opposition to a tobacco gift shop that would also sell sexually oriented items. Residents who spoke out voiced concerns about the presence of pornographic material and other merchandise that would be sold there, along with the proposed business being easily visible from Interstate 70 and located along a school bus route. For the third straight meeting, aldermen took no action on the business license application and remained uncommitted on whether or not they will allow the business to open in the city. Jason Edge, Montgomery City, has proposed opening the White Rabbit at property he plans to lease at 14980-B Veterans Memorial Parkway. The building was formerly occupied by Classic Outdoor Sales. In a listing of items that are to be available at the store, Edge plans to sell books, videos, apparel and gag gifts, toys, art and travel-related items. The store inventory is similar to mall novelty stores such as Spencer's. The business will also have a section of adult items, described previously by Edge as adult movies, lingerie and toys. Chad Hodges, senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Wright City, said every day he deals with people struggling financially or socially who deal with addictions and issues "created by these types of businesses." While he didn't want to question Edge's intent of opening the business, he said the types of customers who would frequent the establishment could ultimately determine the outcome of its operations. "We come here tonight to say if at all possible, we oppose it being in our town," Hodges said. "It's not the right business for Wright City. We're very supportive of business development here. We need it in our town, but we need the kind that will help support families and put people to work rather than destroy families." Wright City Church of the Nazarene Pastor Joe Purl said he feels the proposed business could lead to an increase in drug activity, prostitution, sexual offenders and felony-related crimes. He said the police department doesn't have the budget or the manpower to handle an increase in its current call load. Purl asked Edge to consider withdrawing his application. "This is a negative image for our community," Purl said. "We don't want to have the stigma of being the armpit between Wentzville and Warrenton. This is bad for our community." He later added, "Wright City's motto is ‘Right time, right place, Wright City.' I tell you this is the wrong time, wrong place, wrong city for a sexually oriented business. We're not interested in this." Edge only spoke briefly during last Thursday's meeting and never responded to the comments made by residents. Instead, he focused on the next steps he needs to make to have his application ready for the board to take action on. Any building improvements, Edge has stressed, won't be made until the business license is approved. "If my business license is denied after I take control of the lease and do the renovations, then I'm out of $5,000 and I have a lease you can't use," he said. Alderman Jim Schuchmann explained to Edge that plans for renovations need to be forwarded to the city and a building permit needs to be obtained in order for the business license application to be considered by the board. Should the application be approved, all building improvements will have to be completed and meet city code prior to an occupancy permit being issued allowing Edge's shop to open. The application is expected to be revisited at the board's next meeting, scheduled for Nov. 17 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be held one week later than normal since the board will only meet once in November. The city code states that an adult bookstore or adult video store can operate in the city, though the sexually-oriented items can't exceed 20 percent of the business's overall income, inventory or floor space and cannot operate within 500 feet of a church, school facility, daycare, park or residential district. Should the proposed business top the 20 percent threshold in any one of the three conditions (income, inventory or floor space), then a conditional use permit would have to be obtained or the business would have to be moved to a industrial zoning district, where sexually-oriented businesses are allowed. The building Edge plans to lease is in the general commercial (C-4) zoning district. Richard Denkler, a former alderman who also attended last Thursday's meeting in opposition to the proposed business, said he wasn't aware of the city code regulating sexually oriented businesses allowing them to operate in an area of the city other than the industrial park. During his time on the board, he said, city officials were proactive in establishing regulations that placed restrictions on where a sexually oriented businesses could operate. "I thought we had this under control," Denkler commented. "It wasn't likely somebody would put a porn shop in the industrial park. We did everything we could in the name of the law. The board then did not back any type of establishment like this." Edge previously said he didn't expect the adult section to be more than 4 percent of the entire business' total inventory. In a similar store he operated in California and sold in 2006, the inventory for the adult section was less than 10 percent, he explained. Edge told city officials he would be using a registered accounting software that could easily provide a printout of the store's income and inventory upon request. He plans on using a total of 1,216 square feet in the two-room structure. The adult section, he said, would be in the rear of a smaller showroom and would only be around 96 square feet. The room where the adult section would be located would be off limits to those under 17, he said.