By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET — There was talk about a burlesque “peep” show, an illegal raffle of sex toys and a questionable business plan, but in the end, city zoning officials believed sexual educator Megan Andelloux to be just that: an educator who would be providing sexual counseling to adult clients in a downtown office.

On Monday night, the Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously granted a special use permit to Andelloux that will allow her to open the Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health in the Grant Building at 250 Main Street.
The board briefly outlined the case as presented, in which Andelloux’s attorney, Michael Horan, described the business as being “educational” but acknowledged it was not in compliance with the zoning regulations surrounding the Grant Building.
Horan cited the fact that the zoning board had recently allowed a yoga studio to operate as an educational business in a similar type of building just up the street as a key point in his presentation.
With little fanfare, the Zoning Board agreed that Andelloux’s business, as she described, would not negatively affect the surrounding area and therefore, should be granted a special use permit.
“It was unfortunate that all of the wrong avenues were initially pursued and the case became sensationalized,” observed Zoning Board Vice Chairman Douglas McKinnon, in making his motion that the permit be granted.
Prior to the vote, Zoning Board member George Shabo added that the city’s Planning Board had recommended approval, saying that the Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health fit in with the master plan of attracting a mix of businesses that would “revitalize the downtown.”
Zoning Board member Russell Ferland also noted that Andelloux’s business fit the criteria where a special use permit would normally be allowed.
A pleased Andelloux, accompanied by her husband, Derek Andelloux, a local physician, told the news media that the decision represented “a great day in terms of sexual justice, sexual rights and education.” She said the thought the publicity surrounding the sex center showed the community “what education is all about, and that sex education is a life-long issue.”
Andelloux, who said she already had her first client lined up that she would be seeing in the morning, said that to her knowledge, the only other similar sex centers are located on the West Coast, in California and Washington state. She joked that “we can consider ourselves a progressive state now.” However, on a more serious note, she added that she thought it was important to win her challenge so such sexual counseling services are available to people locally. “We can’t just go to the liberal areas, like San Francisco,” she noted.
Andelloux noted that since she was first denied the ability to open her business in The Grant, she received numerous e-mails from people offering her office space in Providence, where her business application process would likely have gone more smoothly. However, she said she “fell in love” with Pawtucket and its arts community, and the Grant Building in particular, with its welcoming vibe that extends to a “friendly kitty” that roams the halls and greets everyone.
Monday night’s swift meeting was a far cry from an earlier one in December when the Zoning Board upheld a decision that had been made by city Zoning Director Ronald Travis that Andelloux’s description of her business as “educational” was not an allowed use under the zoning permit that applies to the Grant Building.
That night, the Zoning Board of review heard over three hours of testimony related to Andelloux’s challenge of Travers’ decision, and attorney Horan had indicated that he might pursue a Superior Court challenge on the grounds that Andelloux’s freedom of speech and First Amendment rights had been violated by city officials. The Rhode Island American Civil Liberties Union had earlier weighed in on the topic with a press statement alleging that the city was trying to suppress the speech that would occur at the center and was therefore acting discriminatory.
When asked if she wishes she had done things differently, Andelloux acknowledged that her business application process had started off “in a messy way.” Since some of the original furor surrounded the activities she had planned for her grand opening, she said she would have, in hindsight, applied for the “entertainment license” that city official later told her was needed.
A e-mail that was later send to city leaders about some of Andelloux’s past associations as a sexologist and her website further fanned the flames of controversy swirling about the business. She downplayed this on Monday night, saying that she hopes she can now “get along” with city officials and set about the business of operating the sex center that she had hoped to be able to open in September.
Andelloux said that she had been contacted by other sexuality educators and those associated with the field of sexual counseling in other parts of the U.S. who have been closely watching her case. She said that, based on her own experience in Pawtucket, she feels equipped to also counsel others who are trying to open a small business. “I feel that I can help people learn from my mistakes,” she said.