In Old North Milwaukee, even an empty building can stir things up. A proposal to bring a new gentlemen’s club to the long-vacant former Cheetah Club on North 35th Street just cleared a key hurdle at City Hall, with the Common Council’s Licenses Committee signaling its support. The filing would allow adult-entertainment operations at the long-known Cheetah Club site, a neighborhood landmark for decades. Committee backing is not the final word, but it nudges the project closer to a full council vote and a public comment stretch where residents can sound off.
What’s planned for the old Cheetah Club
As reported by Urban Milwaukee, paperwork lists the proposed business name as "Venom." The filing, submitted by VMCB Holdings Corp., seeks a Class B tavern license and a public entertainment premises license that would allow exotic dancers along with other adult-entertainment services. City meeting minutes show the application was heard at a Licenses Committee session where police reports were read into the record and officials flagged a Department of Corrections letter that raised potential probation or parole conflicts for one of the principals. That mix of documents and testimony is what the committee weighed before signaling support.
Building history and neighborhood context
The address at 5048 N. 35th St. is closely tied to the Cheetah Club name, a strip-club fixture that opened in the late 1970s and later sat largely vacant, according to long-running local coverage. OnMilwaukee and local records point to the property’s decades-long history as a nightlife spot and its spot in Old North Milwaukee, a corridor where neighbors and officials have periodically debated which types of businesses fit the block. That backdrop helps explain why a fresh adult-entertainment proposal at the site draws quick attention from both residents and alderpeople.
Neighbors and safety concerns surfaced in hearings
According to city meeting minutes, committee members reviewed police reports tied to the property and the DOC letter, and some alderpeople pressed for clarifications before the file moved forward. The committee has a track record of pushing back on applications where crime reports and neighborhood testimony point to negative secondary effects. A recent denial involving a Water Street strip-club proposal illustrates how heated these debates can get, and reporting by TMJ4 highlights how safety concerns, police records and legal risk often shape decisions in adult-entertainment cases.
How licensing works and what comes next
Under city rules, new or modified public-entertainment permits must be reviewed by both the Licenses Committee and the full Common Council, typically within 60 days of filing. Applications can be approved as is, conditioned with specific requirements or held if officials want more detail. The city’s licensing packet spells out the process and the forms applicants must submit, including a plan of operation and occupancy information. At the same time, the Common Council is weighing a broader map of where adult-entertainment businesses will be allowed to locate in Milwaukee, a policy discussion that could shape future filings and siting decisions. City licensing guidance and the city’s own summary of potential adult-entertainment locations form the official framework for this application and any wider rule changes.
What to watch
With the Licenses Committee signaling support, the next big moment will be a full Common Council vote, where council members will decide whether Venom gets its licenses. Residents and neighborhood groups will have additional chances to weigh in as the file advances. Anyone tracking the issue can watch Common Council and Licenses Committee agendas for the case number and hearing dates, and can dig into the city’s licensing documents to see the plan of operation or review police reports firsthand. However the vote shakes out, the application has already reopened a broader conversation about nightlife, safety and land use along North 35th Street.
