The call for public input on the newly revised adult entertainment ordinance was met with silence during Wednesday’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting – not a single person spoke.

During the last Ames City Council meeting, City Attorney John Klaus proposed a revised ordinance outlining tighter restrictions for adult entertainment businesses, such as Dangerous Curves, 111 5th St., and council members referred it to the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Under the revised ordinance, adult businesses would need to obtain a special-use permit for its dancers to come within 10 feet of patrons, and attire would not be a consideration. Permits would be granted or denied by the Zoning Board of Adjustments. Ordinance violations would result in a $500 fine for the first offense and a $750 fine for each additional offense, Klaus said.

“Exposure of the body is not the key element, closeness is the key,” he said. “This expands the definition of adult businesses to include the businesses that have entertainers that are sexually erotic dancers or engage in those postures.”

Klaus said this is just one possible approach and there could be other solutions or no solution at all.

“Council wanted something to think about and this is a land-use regulation that could provide some ideas,” he said.

“I’m not making any predictions about what comes about. This could inspire other ideas or it might not.”

The Planning and Zoning Commission will vote on the ordinance at its next meeting Nov. 16, after which the ordinance will be referred back to the City Council.

Klaus cautioned that the revised ordinance wouldn’t necessarily prohibit businesses such as Dangerous Curves from opening in Campustown, unless they violate the ordinance’s stipulations.

Council member Russ Cross said the council just wanted input on the issue and “haven’t locked into this as the solution.”

He said the council will wait so they can hear input from the Planning and Zoning Commission, and will provide residents with an additional chance to offer their input before they make their final decision on the matter.

“We referred it to Planning and Zoning because they deal with property and land use and because they can say, ‘You know have you ever thought about this’ and we might end up going about this in a different way,” Cross said.

Sharon Wirth, council member, said she was not aware of any other proposals that have been sent to Planning and Zoning, She said there is significant interest in the current solution referred to the commission.

“It was voted to be sent onto planning and zoning so there is at least somewhat of a serious interest in pursuing this,” Wirth said.