by P.D. Lesko

In August 2023, Ypsilanti Twp. sued Ardis Lewis, Jr., his business, Men Like Us, and his landlord, Lilly Investments, in a suit that alleged Lewis’s men’s club was a public nuisance. In October 2023, Lewis, an Ypsilanti Twp. resident, registered a new business in Michigan called the “Plus One Lounge.” The Plus One Lounge, located at 35337 Michigan Ave. in Wayne, MI, is presently under investigation on the orders of the Wayne City Manager, Diane Webb. Webb is a former Wayne County Commissioner. Webb says Lewis’s neighbors have repeatedly complained about the Plus One Lounge blasting music until 3 a.m. Jason Bates is one of those neighbors.

Jason Bates lives with his 81-year-old mother in a home just across the fence from the Plus One Lounge. “People who go to the Lounge hang out in the parking lot until three or four in the morning. The noise is intense.”

In 2023, The Ann Arbor Independent reported: “At the Aug. 24 hearing on the matter of Ypsilanti Twp. vs. Ardis Lewis, Jr., Men Like Us and Lily Investments, Inc. before the Honorable Timothy P. Connors in the Washtenaw County Trial Court, the podium was crowded. The attorney representing Ypsilanti Twp. was there, as was the attorney representing Lilly Investments, Inc., the owner of the building named in the Township’s lawsuit filed July 28, 2023. Men Like Us CEO Ardis Lewis, Jr. was represented by an attorney, as well. At the 20-minute hearing, the landlord’s attorney informed Judge Connors that on Aug. 16 Lily Investments, Inc. had sent Ardis Lewis, Jr. a Demand Letter for $80,307.70 in unpaid rent, and was initiating eviction proceedings. In response, Judge Connors extended the ex parte restraining order against Men Like Us which was put into place on Aug. 1. The judge then set the next hearing date for Sept. 22, 2023.”

Bates says shortly after Lewis opened the Plus One Lounge, the former Men Like Us owner visited nearby neighbors’ homes and handed out cards with just a phone number. He asked the neighbors to call the number if there was a problem with noise. Bates says the one time he went to the Lounge to talk to Lewis about the constant late-night noise, Lewis’s response was that he had “rights” as a business owner.

Jason Bates says that the he and other neighbors feel Lewis has tried to intimidate them by visiting their homes and demanding to know who has summoned police to the Lounge to force Lewis to adhere to the city’s noise ordinance.

According to 22nd Circuit Court documents, Ardis Lewis, Jr. has a record of having been charged with multiple felonies, including assault with a dangerous weapon and aggravated assault. Lewis’s criminal record includes a 2013 felony charge of CHILD SUPPORT-FAILING TO PAY/LEAVE STATE, and violating a PPO. He was forced to put up the amount owing in back child support as bond. The case was dismissed when Lewis paid $14,635.95 in back child support.

Wayne City Manager Diane Webb says she is concerned about the neighbors. “So far,” said Webb, who says Jason Bates shared The Ann Arbor Independent’s reporting with her and other city officials, “it’s just noise complaints.” Webb says she believes that Lewis is selling food and liquor without the required licenses, and that would prompt local officials to shut down the Plus One Lounge.

Evidence that shows Lewis is providing food and drinks is posted to the Plus One Lounge Facebook page.

“He doesn’t have a liquor license,” said Webb, who says she checked with Wayne County and State officials. Webb also said City of Wayne officials are planning to visit Lewis’s rented space to make sure the building is up to code. The 35337 Michigan Ave. building, that previously housed a long-time carpet cleaning business, is rented by Insite Commercial. Michigan business entity records show Insite Commercial is owned by Randy Alan Johnson.

In August 2023, Lewis’s then landlord told Judge Connors that Lewis was arrears in rent to the tune of $80,000. According to the landlord, Ardis Lewis, Jr. claimed that a grant from Washtenaw County was coming and that grant would cover the rent.

In a March 2023 article, The Ann Arbor Independent reported:

“On Mar. 29, 2022, Lewis applied to Washtenaw County for a $70,000 federal ARPA fund grant to ‘educate and deter the youth from violence…,’ according to public records that document all of the ARPA fund applications submitted before the April 2022 deadline for the first round of funding. Washtenaw County received a total of $8 million in ARPA money from the federal government and County Commissioners plan to solicit applications in multiple funding rounds. Just two months after Lewis applied for a $70,000 grant to ‘deter youth from violence,’ his 3011 E. Michigan Ave. club was the site of a felonious assault with an attempt to murder, according to police reports.”

City Manager Diane Webb says that the Plus One Lounge has gotten off to a bad start in her city. When asked what comes next, Webb would only say that she, her staff and the Wayne Police Dept. are continuing their investigations.

An email to Ardis Lewis, Jr. requesting a comment went unanswered.