MADISON (WKOW) -- Madison's Alcohol License Review Committee voted to deny three licenses that would have allowed Silk to open and operate a new adult entertainment facility in the Visions Night Club building on Madison's East side.
Silk was in the process of buying Visions as the troubled club closed for three months, at the city's request. That request stemmed fromyears of debatesurrounding crime in the neighborhood after a shooting in December of 2018.
Representatives from Silk, including director of operations Kyle Zubke, tried to convince the committee things would be different under their management.
"We are not the past. We are not the ones that you've had issues with for these years. We are a different organization," Zubke said. "We feel like we're a better operator and we feel like we can clean things up."
Roughly a dozen neighbors came out to express their skepticism and opposition. Neighbor Walter Roth said his biggest concern is the patrons who park on the residential streets.
"I've been in the neighborhood for 18 years now, and it's a problem," he said. "I see these guys coming in form anywhere from 10 to 3 in the morning and they're going to be loud, rowdy, obnoxious. We're constantly picking up trash, broken bottles."
Zubke addressed that concern, saying Silk would have a valet operation that would require patrons to arrive by ride share, cab or utilize the club's parking service to gain entry.
The committee also asked Zubke how he would address security concerns and prevent sex trafficking.
He said all patrons would be screened for weapons and outside drugs or alcohol. Zubke went on to say his staff has had training to spot sex trafficking from representatives of the Department of Homeland Security.
Ultimately, the committee voted unanimously to deny the three licenses, claiming Silk's proposal doesn't do enough to address parking and crime concerns given the history of the area.
Silk's permits will go before the Common Council, however without ALRC approval, they are likely to fail there as well.
If Silk wants to appeal the decision, they must go through court.
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