Milwaukee's Licenses Committee on Tuesday denied a downtown nightclub's attempt to offer adult entertainment, including strippers and burlesque shows.

The Ladybug Club, 618 N. Water St., was seeking to change its current operations to include burlesque shows as well as Chippendales and Thunder From Down Under male stripper revues.

Ald. Tony Zielinski said he remembered the history of Silk Exotic Milwaukee Gentlemen's Club, whose owners initially told city officials they planned to offer only occasional evenings of adult entertainment such as hunter's widow events during the deer hunting season.

"There's nothing to preclude this from becoming a full-on strip club," said Zielinski.

But Nick Murado, Ladybug Club's director of operations, said the establishment only wanted to offer a variety of entertainment options including comedians, burlesque acts and strippers for bachelor and bachelorette parties — and only on weekends.

"We believe there's a massive misunderstanding," Murado told the committee. "We don't intend to be a gentleman's club."

If Ladybug Club operators wanted to offer burlesque shows and stripper revues, the only option was to check the box on the change of entertainment application for adult entertainment/strippers/erotic dance, said Murado.

Ald. Robert Bauman, a vocal opponent of the Executive Lounge, which just won approval for a license to open a strip club on Old World 3rd St., told the licensing committee he supported the Ladybug Club becoming a strip club.

Bauman said the club had so many problems in the past that changing the type of entertainment it offers could reduce its negative impact. He also told the committee that though neither "gentleman's club" or "cabaret" is defined in city ordinances, first amendment lawsuits have held up the legality of nude dancing.

"Strippers are strippers. Nudity is the whole point of checking this box" on the application, Bauman said.

At the meeting a few individuals spoke in favor of Ladybug Club offering strippers and burlesque acts, which they said would have added to the variety of downtown entertainment options. Representatives of the Milwaukee Downtown Business Improvement District No. 21 and Chase Tower high-rise across the street, objected because of complaints about noise and criminal activity linked to the nightclub.

"There's a little bit of smoke and mirrors here to say that's the box they checked off but that's not what they want to do," said Josh Roling, representing Chase Tower.

The venue, also known as 618 Live on Water, was previously shut down due to public safety concerns. In 2013 the Common Council suspended its tavern and public entertainment licenses for 90 days following police reports and complaints about nonfatal shootings, gunfire, sexual activity in the streets and fighting.

In 2011 and 2012, the club's licenses were renewed with warning letters.

Last week, council members voted to approve agreements signed by some strip club owners saying the owners would drop their lawsuits filed against the city over past blocked efforts to open businesses. That vote came after the Executive Lounge license was approved by aldermen.

The Ladybug Club was not part of that deal.