SEATTLE, WA — Seattle strip club opponents have had considerable success at inconveniencing the city’s businesses, customers, employees, and dancers. This week, they’ll have another chance to make things even more uncomfortable for them – and the residents of the Georgetown neighborhood aren’t very happy about it.Having already forced clubs to use florescent lighting inside and to keep customers and dancers four-feet from one another. Now those who’d just as soon see all exotic entertainment establishments go away entirely plan to force any new ones into a single area of the city; an industrial area just south of Safeco Field and north of Georgetown.
According to the Seattle City Council, that is the only area that would meet its proposed guidelines for new business – businesses that now must be tolerated since a 17-year moratorium against them has been lifted.
Currently, no adult clubs can be placed near churches, parks, playgrounds, or libraries. Although officials at the mayor’s office feel confident that the strict rules concerning lighting and distance will discourage further development, given the new license to expand adult establishments, they felt it important to see what areas were still available — and found one that fit the bill.
Although people living in the Georgetown area do not share his enthusiasm, mayor Greg Nickels would prefer to see any new clubs take up residence there.
Robin Tomazic, a member of the Georgetown Neighborhood Council believes that the idea is horrible. “A place where strip clubs can congregate in one area… that is a red-light district.”
As far as Tomazic is concerned, every business and person in the area would become known as “part of that zone,” with dire consequences for the average citizen and professional, including but not limited to traffic congestion as patrons move between the eventual Georgetown strip clubs that could not serve alcohol and regular bars and taverns that can. Other concerns center on the affects on the quality of life of residents and their own parks, churches, and playgrounds.
A public hearing on the matter will be held on Wednesday April 12 at 5:30pm PST in the City Council chambers.
