Alcohol may not be sold at a proposed topless bar.

BANGOR (AP) – Three days after voting to allow alcohol sales in conjunction with topless dancing, the City Council has reversed course in response to public pressure.

The unanimous decision Thursday came one day after about 150 opponents of sexually oriented businesses gathered outside City Hall to launch a petition drive to put the issue to referendum.

The council’s 5-4 vote Monday night to change the ordinance would have enabled Platinum Plus, a national chain of strip clubs, to move forward with a plan to set up shop at the former Pilots Grill.

Platinum Plus, which has a club in Portland, maintains that alcohol is a crucial component of its business model.

Commercial nudity has been a focus of controversy in Bangor over the years.

The city banned alcohol sales at sexually oriented businesses six years ago.

AP-ES-02-27-04 0926EST