Bellevue’s Crossroads neighborhood has long been a melting-pot community, but the latest element to arrive there has many residents steaming.

The Knotty Bodies espresso stand, featuring bikini-clad baristas, opened shop Saturday at a drive-through near Northeast Eight Street and 164th Avenue Northeast.

Many residents say the business has put scantily-clothed women too close to an area where children play.

The stand is located adjacent to Crossroads Park, home to a community center and a water-spray play area. A childcare center that serves infants and special-needs kids is also nearby, as well as the Youth Eastside Services headquarters.

A number of residents have contacted the Bellevue Reporter to say they plan to complain about the espresso stand at tonight’s city council meeting, which takes place 6 p.m. at City Hall.

Those people may get their way due to a technicality.

The building permit for Knotty Bodies prohibits drive-through operations at the site, located in the parking lot of a Chevron gas station. The city has determined there is not enough room for vehicles to queue up there, according to city spokesman Tim Waters.

“If it is a drive-through operation, we will have to issue a cease and desist for that,” Waters said.

The Knotty Bodies site is leased by the owner of the Chevron station.

“I’ve been hearing a lot of complaints, so it kind of makes me mad, too,” said Udip Resmi, a Chevron clerk. “The owner has worked really hard to build this business. He’s definitely going to take some action.”

Amit Kausik, the Chevron station owner, was out of the country Monday and unavailable for comment.

Knotty Bodies owner Mike Rockey, 26, said he has tried to be respectful of his neighbors, noting that he built the espresso stand without any windows facing the park. He also prohibits employees from leaving the booth without extra layers of clothing.

“We do everything we can to be as respectful as possible,” Rockey said. “You won’t see anything more here than you would at a beach or on TV.”

But it’s not just scantily-clad baristas that residents are concerned about. It’s also the Knotty Bodies sign, which is visible from the road and shows the backside of a topless woman.

“We want to be very straightforward that, yes, this is a sexy stand,” said Knotty Bodies manager Lisa Caughron. “It lets you know what to expect before you drive through.”

Caughron makes no bones about the fact that Knotty Bodies is using sex appeal as a marketing strategy.

“Right now, small businesses are having a really hard time,” she said. “Other coffee stands, especially ones competing with Starbucks, are going sexy to keep from going under.”

Bellevue resident Nick Bean, who owns the local branding company Authenticity, works across the street from Knotty Bodies, and he lives two blocks away. He says the espresso stand puts risque behavior on display for kids whenever they pull up for gas with parents.

“It’s a drive-in theater for them,” Bean said. “They don’t even have a choice in the matter.”

Caughron says it’s not easy to get a look at the bikini-clad employees.

“If you really want to see what the girls are wearing, you have to go up to the drive-through,” she said.

Caughron says she chose to work at a bikini espresso stand because the tips are great, and they help her remain independent while attending college.

“The girls that get hired are nice girls,” she said. “They’re paying their way through school. They’re not by any means trashy.”

Knotty Bodies offers medical and dental benefits to all employees working at least 25 hours per week.

Rockey said he plans to take his brand nationwide by 2011, and he hopes to eventually open a Knotty Bodies saloon and a hotel in Las Vegas.

“It feels good putting girls to work, especially in a down economy,” he said.