A proposed strip club near the North Shore casino may be on the skids before the first pole dance.

Greg Stein, president of DSR Inc., owner of the building that would house the River Front Doll House, said his tenants are opposed to the project. He said he has told the applicant for the strip club, Bernard Taylor, that he would need their approval to go forward.

"This is not a done deal," Mr. Stein said yesterday.

Mr. Stein said he was first approached in March about leasing approximately 7,000 square feet in the back of the building at 1025 Beaver Ave. for the club. He said he told Mr. Taylor he would rent him the space only if he could get a permit from the city for the club and if his other tenants agreed to the use.

He said he reiterated those conditions in a phone call with Mr. Taylor yesterday. Mr. Stein said the reaction from the tenants about a possible strip club in the building has been "bad." Asked if they wanted the club, he replied, "Of course not."

He added he hasn't even talked lease rates with Mr. Taylor yet.

"I'm not getting to the point of talking money unless I have everyone else in the building satisfied," Mr. Stein said. "I'm not going to lose other tenants [over the club]."

Mr. Taylor could not be reached for comment yesterday. In his application to the city, he is proposing to build three stages, a private dance area and a champagne room as part of the club. There also would be a dressing room, bath and office. Renovations are estimated at $30,000.

Tom Hardy, executive director of Manchester Citizens Corp., said the comments by Mr. Stein about tenant opposition to the proposed River Front Doll House are "definitely positive news" in the battle against the club.

To get a city permit, an applicant must provide evidence of site control, he said. "For site control, he would need to have a lease. I think we're going to make that an issue. That's a requirement of the application," he said.

The strip club, which would be in an urban industrial zoned district, would require conditional use approval from the city planning commission and City Council.

To meet the zoning requirements, the club must be at least 1,000 feet from other adult entertainment uses, an amusement arcade, a hotel, a motel, a bar or nightclub and the proposed Majestic Star casino, which will be built several blocks away, between the Carnegie Science Center and West End Bridge.

It also must be at least 500 feet from a religious assembly, a library, a cultural services center, a child care center, a school, a community center, residential buildings and a public assembly.

Mr. Hardy said the strip club may have trouble meeting at least one of those conditions. He said there are houses on West North Avenue that are within 500 feet of the proposed location, based on his group's measurements.

Between that and Mr. Stein's comments, "we feel like those are pretty good grounds we have to oppose it within the context of the zoning code."

The North Shore section of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail also runs within 500 feet of the proposed club. While the conditional use requirements do not specifically mention trails, Mr. Hardy believes that could be another factor in deciding the issue.

"You see people of all ages making use of [the trail]. Having that kind of establishment so close to the trail, it's another reason this is not an appropriate location for this use," he said.

The casino has said it likely would "stand shoulder to shoulder" with whatever stance the North Side community groups took regarding the strip club. The Pirates said yesterday they also oppose the venture.

"We pride ourselves on the family experience at PNC Park. This is obviously in sharp contrast to those values, as well as to the new businesses the neighborhood groups are trying to attract," spokesman Brian Warecki said in a statement.

Cliff Levine, a lawyer who served on the city planning commission and Zoning Board of Adjustment, said that simply not liking a strip club in the neighborhood won't be enough to defeat it.

To deny approval on that basis likely would lead to a court reversal. He said the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that municipalities must make provisions for adult entertainment in their zoning ordinances.

Mr. Levine said those objecting must show the club does not meet the requirements for conditional use approval as outlined in the zoning code.