SEATTLE – The head of the South Downtown Business Association is not too excited about Mayor Greg Nickels’ plan to isolate all new strip clubs in a 310-acre area south of downtown.
The plan, which is set to be released by the mayor’s office on Monday and go to the City Council later this month, was designed to keep strip clubs 1,000 feet away from schools, parks and single-family homes.
“We have identified an area that pretty much meets that criteria,” said Sung Yang, a senior aide in Nickels’ office.
Mike Peringer, vice president of Process Heating on Third Avenue South within the proposed zone, said the mayor can expect a storm of protests from businesses in the area.
“This shows an incredible lack of respect for businesses down here. He is going to start a war,” he said.
Yang said the mayor has not talked to businesses about the new zone, which would start about one-quarter mile south of Safeco Field and stretch about two miles south, between Third Avenue South to the west and I-5 to the east.
About 60 percent of the land is occupied by industrial businesses, 11 percent by retail and service and the rest by transportation and utilities, according to the King County Assessor’s Office.
Seattle currently has four strip clubs, which are downtown and in North Seattle. For 17 years, the city has kept more clubs from opening by imposing a moratorium on new licenses for clubs.
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