SOUTH SALT LAKE — The city's three all-nude clubs probably won't be awarded liquor licenses if the city forces them to cover up their dancers.
Currently, it's a trade-off: Clubs can have all-nude dancers or alcohol but not both. With the city considering a ban on all-nude clubs, it faces the prospect of allowing the clubs to add alcohol along with a few scraps of clothing.
But new guidelines approved Wednesday may mean the clubs may have to go without all-nude dancers and liquor licenses, creating a new breed of club — a seminude juice bar.
The City Council ensured that Wednesday night when it adjusted the city's alcohol-licensing guidelines to reflect higher-than-expected census results. The new guidelines will allow one license — whether a private club or tavern — for every 850 people.
The previous guidelines allowed one license per 750 people, which allowed the 27 licenses in the city to remain legal, City Attorney Craig Hall said. City leaders had based their numbers on estimates of 20,000 residents, but recent census numbers put the population at 22,038. That would have permitted two more licenses in the city.
The City Council decided last year to cap the licenses at the 27 existing liquor serving establishments, and it did not want to grandfather any business because of licensing issues. That, in effect, could make any temporary license suspension permanent, Hall said.
"Generally, we use a three-day weekend as a penalty," he said. With grandfathered businesses, "that could be the death penalty."
Although the council did not consider the proposed ordinance that would outlaw all-nude dancing in the city, the revised liquor guidelines do play a part in the debate. Currently, it's an either-or situation — all-nude clubs can serve nonalcoholic drinks only, while semi-nude bars can have full liquor service. Some critics have questioned whether it is better to place G-strings and pasties on the dancers and also allow alcohol.
Hall asked the council to postpone the nudity ordinance until he can draft an airtight law that would stand up to the promised court challenge. The council unanimously agreed.
"We want to make sure that when we go forward with this it is exactly how we need it," Councilman Doug Moffat said. "Once you pass the ordinance, that's it. Then (the opponents) go to work and start tearing it apart."
E-mail: jloftin@desnews.com