Ordinance would allow nude shows in downtown hotels

Downtown casinos that have shows featuring nude dancers will not have to adhere to the same laws that apply to exotic dance establishments in the city of Las Vegas.

A proposed ordinance, expected to be adopted by the City Council in a few weeks, amends the zoning regulations for sexually oriented businesses to exclude nude shows in hotel-casinos with more than 300 rooms.

The hotel-casino would have to be within the Downtown Casino Overlay District to be part of the proposed law. The district's boundaries are roughly Stewart Avenue, Fourth Street, the railroad behind the Plaza hotel-casino and Bridger Avenue.

The bill was sponsored by City Councilman Michael McDonald who said the zoning issue was brought to his attention about a month ago when some downtown hotel-casinos looked into bringing a Folies Bergere-type of show downtown.

"They looked into it, but found out city zoning wouldn't allow it," McDonald said. "We looked at what the Strip allows for their overlay, and just mirrored that law."

There are a couple of exceptions downtown already. The Plaza hotel-casino has a topless review show, The Xtreme Scene, because part of the land it sits on is actually zoned industrial because of its proximity to the railroad.

Another exception is Glitter Gulch, a topless dance club on Fremont Street that was grandfathered into being excluded from the ordinance.

McDonald also backed a series of investigations into nude dance establishments in the city. Those dance clubs, under city ordinance, can't serve or allow alcohol to be consumed in their doors if the dancers are fully nude.

The inquiries by city licensing officers resulted in fines or license suspensions for three exotic dance clubs -- Little Darlings, Club Erotica and Talk of the Town.

McDonald said illegal drinking in those clubs was brought to his attention a couple years ago at a neighborhood meeting.

"Someone's son came home drunk with a shirt from one of those locations," McDonald said. "He was underage and drank there."

After asking the strip clubs if alcohol was allowed inside, McDonald said the owners denied it. But the city's licensing officials discovered otherwise.

Owners of the strip clubs Little Darlings and Talk of the Town are suing the city for the investigations. They allege that the city overstepped its bounds by doing a series of undercover investigations and that the fines imposed -- $50,000 in Little Darlings' case and a three-week license suspension in Talk of the Town's case -- were way beyond the maximum $1,000 fine allowed under city ordinance.

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