Played to a draw

The Planning Commission,  in light of the massive opposition organized by strip club workers and an impressive show of force at the meeting, decided not to endorse the mayor and city council's plan to place a "hard cap" on the number of clubs allowed to operate in the Quarter.

The CPC voted unanimously to support a “soft cap” of up to 14 clubs in the VCE, with other openings subject to the conditional use permitting process. But three clubs were forced to close in the wake of those raids, what club workers say is a political maneuver of "attrition" that aligns with City Hall's plans for fewer clubs on the strip.

It’s a tentative win — until the City Council considers its next steps — for club workers, who marched through the busy French Quarter in the wake of raids and what they’ve argued is City Hall’s plan to “sanitize” Bourbon Street as a more “family-friendly” destination for tourists.

Backing the reduce-by-attrition principle might still be enough for the city to work with for the time being. It makes it more likely that a closure by raid or an "emergency" declaration by the mayor will be permanent.  We still have to see what the City Council does with the surveillance ordinance.  And, of course, council could always vote to override CPC anyway. So, no, this isn't over at all.