So after waiting months for Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Kaye Allison to rule on whether Suite Ultraloung, a controversial bottle club in the basement of the Belvedere Hotel, can stay open, we finally get what amounts to a non-ruling.

The judge, in essence, decided that Baltimore's liquor board needs to formulate standard rules to shut the club before it shuts the club. The board had thought existing rules for closing troublesome night spots were good enough, but until late last year, the bottle club had been running under antiquated rules that allowed it to escape the scrutiny of the board. The city changed that because of complaints, and the judge said those changes require new standards before the lock can go on.

This means the club can stay open until the liquor board completes its new regulations for revoking licenses and then have another hearing on Suite Ultralounge. The easiest way for that to happen is November, when the club has its license up for renewal. That's a full year from when the board revoked its license, citing the club as a danger to the community.

Mayor Sheila Dixon had this to say in a statement:

“Today’s ruling was very disappointing news with respect to the Suites Ultralounge, which has not been a good neighbor. Unfortunately, this decision does not bring closure to the residents of Mt. Vernon, an area where we have seen too many violent incidents linked to this nightclub.

The Liquor Board should act quickly to address the concerns raised in the judge's opinion. We are hopeful that bureaucracy and red tape will not prevent the board from finally shutting down this nuisance club.”

There's a good chance this whole episode could be prolonged even further. If the liquor board, as expected, yanks the club's license again in November, its owners will most certainly appeal to Circuit Court again. A judge could again take months to rule, find the board's new regulations inadequate and send it back yet again or decide it can or cannot be shuttered. Either way, more appeals are likely.

The only reprieve residents have is that because Allison took so long to rule in this case, liquor board chairman Stepan Fogleman has told me he would no longer grant shuttered bars a stay pending their appeal to court, as they did with Club Ultralounge. Fogleman said he had expected a ruling within 30 days, not three months. That would mean club owners would have to make an extra trip to court to seek a stay from a judge if they want to remain open pending appeal.

For now, Club Ultralounge, linked to several violence acts including shootings and maurading youths in Mount Vernon and Mid-Town Belvedere, will get to stay open. It's attorney, Peter A. Prevas, told The Sun's Julie Bykowicz and Sam Sessa (see his nightlife blog, Midnight Sun, for yet another story about violence in the area), "It's certainly a victory. We won the battle but not necessarily the war."