XXX adult store sign taken down as dispute over Wayzata property continues

The "XXX" sign erected by the frustrated owner of a commercial building in Wayzata has been taken down.

Brad Hoyt painted the building at 253 E. Lake Street bright pink last month, and last week put up a sign on the building saying "XXX...Adult Books DVDS Toys," indicating plans to open an adult store at the site.

It was his response to the City Council's rejection of his plans to tear down the building and replace it with a five-story apartment block, and a city official said it had been garnering attention from plenty of curious locals.

KSTP reports that the sign went up last Tuesday, March 17, but that it has now disappeared, with the city council saying it was the owner who took it down.

The council had rejected Hoyt's plans because city zoning rules restrict buildings on Lake Street to just three stories.

But KSTP reports that Hoyt, the CEO of Continental Property Group, still plans on taking the city to court in May over the dispute, telling the station the ruling is "arbitrary and capricious."

The City of Wayzata issued this statement last week explaining that the building's owner had put the sign up without applying for or receiving council approval, and that the sign needed to be removed.

Explaining his decision to paint the building pink, Hoyt told the Sun Times: "Once it became clear that the city likes that building, and doesn’t ever want it torn down, we realized that we needed to paint it because it was starting to leak."

He said he let his 8-year-old daughter pick the color, saying: "She loves pink."

Hoyt's case against the city will be heard in court on May 5, according to WCCO.