Baby Dolls strip club, destroyed by a fire on July 10, 2024, is poised to rebuild in far east Fort Worth.
Fort Worth City Council members on Aug. 26 unanimously approved a zoning change that will allow the decades-old strip club to rebuild at 3601 S. Highway 157 between Euless and Arlington. The council approved a zoning change for the 1.3-acre site from agriculture to light industrial — a request that was denied by the Fort Worth Zoning Commission on June 11.
Council member Deborah Peoples, who represents the area, said she was concerned about the potential effects of the topless club but that the business meets the city’s criteria for sexually oriented businesses, specifically that they be located at least 1,000 feet from homes, churches or schools.
“These types of businesses are protected by the First Amendment,” Peoples said.
A spokesperson for Houston-based owner, RCI Holdings Inc., did not immediately respond to an email from the Fort Worth Report.
RCI plans to resume Baby Dolls operations, according to city filing. “Operations will be unchanged from the prior use,” RCI wrote in the filing.
According to a filing with the city, city staff indicated to RCI Holdings that the only path to rebuilding the club required a zoning change.
The land Baby Dolls was on had been zoned for agricultural use previously and then zoned for light industrial while the club was operational. But after the fire, the zoning reverted back to agricultural.
That meant Baby Dolls couldn’t rebuild without the zoning change.
City staff previously noted in a report that while the requested zoning is compatible with nearby land uses, it isn’t consistent with what the city’s comprehensive plan shows for the area. Infill development is encouraged as more homes, churches and schools have been built in the area, including Euless and Arlington.
Tarrant Appraisal District records show that the property was valued at $186,210 last year. The site is near at least one other strip club in that section of Fort Worth just west of State Highway 360.
Fort Worth fire officials have said the cause of the Baby Doll’s fire was undetermined.
Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org.
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