The moratorium prohibits development of adult entertainment until June 1.
Several people at the city council meeting said strip clubs and juice bars do not belong in Dubuque, although zoning laws prohibit adult businesses in 95 percent of the city. The location for The Office is in a legal area.
"The U.S. Supreme Court has said cities cannot ban adult entertainment uses. However, we can put restrictions on where they can be," City Manager Mike Van Milligen said. "Now that The Office is opening, the question is how close can another facility open near there? The current ordinance is 500 feet and we think that's probably not restrictive enough."
City representatives told reporters that the moratorium will not affect plans for The Office to open later this month.
Managers at The Office were not available for comment about the moratorium.
