Sandy Springs Raises Questions About Nightclub's Ownership

An alcohol license application from a bar and night club that’s been the location of recent crime has come under scrutiny by Sandy Springs leaders.

The Sandy Springs City Council on Tuesday granted Taboo 3000 — formerly Taboo 2 Bar & Bistro — a temporary alcohol license to continue operating at its facility at 6075 Roswell Road.

The application, filed by Kenneth Durden, was submitted to the city as part of a change of ownership process. City Attorney Wendell Willard recommended approval of a temporary license, which would give him time to track down missing information in the application that would indicate when the closing took place.

Willard noted there was no closing statement to indicate a change of ownership took place. The attorney said there are documents that indicate the closing may have happened in either January or April, but the alcohol license application was filled out in July.

New owners are supposed to apply for alcohol license as soon as closing occurs and if the closing happened months before the application was submitted, the business could face legal trouble for operating with an invalid license.

The council heard from Chip Collins, lawyer and former Sandy Springs City Council member, who said he was representing 11 clients who have a pending lawsuit in federal court against the business and its proprietors. Collins said the clients have lawsuits claiming violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act and another supported by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging sexual harassment.

Collins said he opposed granting the alcohol license, and noted Durden, who he said lives near Savannah, operates as “nothing but a strawman” for the business.

Willard said the lawsuits and Collins’ allegations should have no bearing on the city’s decision, and he’s only making his recommendation based upon the application in front of the city.

Taboo has been in the news in the last several months for less than flattering reasons.

Last month, a Brookhaven man was shot and killed behind the facility. Earlier this year, a woman was charged with attacking reality TV star Erica Pinkett, star of the VH1 show “Love and Hip Hop Atlanta,” inside the nightclub.

In other business, the council denied a rezoning request from Holt Persinger to rezone .63 acres from C-1 (commercial business district) to A-L (apartment limit dwelling district) to allow for 45 multi-family units at 400 Carpenter Drive.

Councilman Tibby DeJulio said he was concerned about the density, which if approved, would amount to 71.43 units per acre, which he said was “insane.”

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