Curbing rowdy behavior goal of new nightclub rules

A group of Seattle club owners and neighborhood leaders are crafting new rules that would give the city the muscle it now lacks to force sloppy nightclub operators to change their business practices or risk being shut down.

The task force, appointed by Mayor Greg Nickels, is drafting an ordinance patterned after one in San Francisco that requires all clubs and bars to apply for a nightclub license — and live up to new rules of conduct.

Presently the city can do little to control a nightspot that generates chronic complaints until there's a serious incident, like the recent shooting at Mr. Lucky Lounge and Grill in Lower Queen Anne. Then the city can ask the state Liquor Control Board to suspend a nightclub's liquor license, as it did with Lucky Lounge.

Seattle's nightlife is becoming a thriving, ever-changing feature in many of the city's mixed-use neighborhoods, including Belltown, Fremont, Capitol Hill and Pioneer Square.

The clubs, bars and restaurants attract customers from throughout the region, and that means more people are out on the streets and in the clubs into the wee morning hours. Even some restaurants serve until 2 a.m.

But the boom in both new condominiums and clubs serving liquor has some residents and business owners agitating for better public safety.

Nightlife task force

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels created this task force in November to come up with new legislation aimed at persuading nightclubs to be better neighbors:

Club representatives

Pete Hanning, Red Door, Fremont, co-chair

Neil Radan, Cowgirls Inc., Pioneer Square (also Venom in Belltown)

Rick Wyatt, Fenix Underground, Pioneer Square

Jeff Steichen, The Showbox

Linda Derschang, Linda's Tavern, Viceroy, Capitol Hill

Max Genereaux, Sunset Tavern, Ballard

Jerry Everard, Neumo's, Rendezvous, Belltown

Stephanie Dorgan, The Crocodile, Belltown

Neighborhood representatives

Brett Allen, TRIAD (John Goodman properties), Pioneer Square, co-chair

John Erdmann, University District resident

Vafa Ghazi, Fremont Neighborhood Council

Katherine Olson, Pioneer Square resident

Virgil Domaoan, Chinatown/International District

Kate Joncas, Downtown Seattle Association

Gary Clark, Capitol Hill resident

Source: city of Seattle

At the same time, task-force co-chairman Brett Allen, who represents real-estate developer John Goodman, says the trend toward downtown living is only going to grow, and that a vibrant club scene is crucial.

"We need to offer that as an amenity to condo owners," Allen said.

In November, Nickels created the 15-member task force, which has met a half-dozen times.

Any new ordinance "has got to provide for early intervention in problems so they don't become chronic problems," said Jordan Royer, Nickels' senior policy adviser for public safety. "Most cities do that. We're one of the few that don't."

The ordinance also should "provide assistance to people who want to open clubs so they don't have a difficult time navigating the city bureaucracy," Royer said.

The task force will meet again sometime next month to try to reach consensus on several issues:

• What kinds of businesses should be required to obtain a nightclub license? Some fear that an overly broad policy would apply to coffeehouses and even hotel bars.

• Should clubs be required to have a cooling-off period before they turn patrons out onto the street? State law prohibits club employees from selling liquor or allowing it to be consumed from 2 to 6 a.m.

• When a club becomes a problem, how many strikes should it get before the city suspends its license?

Bob Davis, the director of San Francisco's entertainment commission, says there are no easy answers: "You're involving a lot of people, people's homes and neighborhoods where they live, people's money, investments and livelihood, so feelings run high and everyone's protecting their turf. It's a very delicate dance."

Bar and nightclub owners say it's too easy to blame them for rowdy behavior on the streets in the early morning hours.

"It's a much bigger issue than nightclubs," says Pete Hanning, owner of the Red Door in Fremont and co-chair of the task force. "Society is moving more and more toward a 24/7 cycle. More people are living in the city. Young people aren't coming out at 8:30 [p.m.] anymore but at 10:30."

Some private-property owners and residents already have been trying to deal with the problem on their own.

Neighborhoods have lobbied the city successfully to pressure bars and nightclubs to sign "good neighbor" agreements. If they refuse, the city can file an objection with the state Liquor Control Board, which in turn could deny the bar a license.

The agreements range from the generic to micromanaging. The Twist at the Pomeroy opened in Belltown only after it signed an agreement with 20 restrictions: five rules on noise, six rules on security and detailed closing procedures.

Hanning, the Red Door's owner, says he thinks Twist's owners were treated unfairly. He also suggests that condo buyers should have to sign a consent form acknowledging their new neighborhood is active day and night.

"It's not your constitutional right to have quietude in your home," Hanning said. "If that's your biggest priority then you're not living in the right area."

Some landlords are asserting their power as well to rein in nightlife.

Bruce Cowen, landlord to such Belltown landmarks as Flying Fish, El Gaucho and Cyclops, recently decided to prohibit disc jockeys in his leases.

"The fear I've always had is a restaurant can go sideways on you and turn into a bar," Cowen said. "If they sold hot dogs for a few hours, they could sell liquor and play pounding music all night long."

Blaring music is not what Steven Han had in mind when he opened Bada Lounge in Cowen's building in late 2001. He says the lounge was serving lots of martinis initially. But as the economy sagged and more clubs and bars opened nearby catering to college-age patrons, a rough element began to spill over to his place, he said.

Han closed Bada Lounge in late February after a fight one weekend that eventually involved some 20 patrons. Later this month, Han says he's opening a new sushi lounge on the same site, which he's renamed Umi Sake House.

Han wants to have a live disc jockey at Umi, but Cowen says he's uncomfortable with the idea. Next to Umi's space are two other tenants Cowen says he can't alienate, The Flying Fish and The Apartment Bistro.

"We just want to make sure Belltown stays as it is," Cowen said, "nice dining, a place where you're comfortable walking on the streets at night, walking from lounge to lounge and not a lot of blaring music coming out of restaurants, something that's not just for the very young."

Sanjay Bhatt: 206-464-3103