Nickels' night-life regulations gain support

Seattle City Council members have dropped their opposition to requiring nightclubs and bars to get special licenses and comply with unique operating standards.

The council members had said in recent weeks that they wanted to find a way to avoid saddling most Seattle bars and clubs with another layer of red tape.

But Sally Clark and Jan Drago said Thursday that they will instead propose legislation that incorporates most of Mayor Greg Nickels' "night-life license" ideas.

"The city, in a serious violence-related case, needed its own tool. (And) club owners, bar owners need more support," Clark said, acknowledging some disappointment that she wasn't able to find a narrower alternative.

"If there could be another way to guarantee that the city would have its own tool ... then, yeah, that would have been my preference."

Clark is the chairwoman of and Drago is a member of the three-member committee reviewing Nickels' proposal.

The details of their new proposal have not been released.

In general terms, it "appears to take some positive steps" in dealing with club violence, said Nickels' spokesman, Marty McOmber.

Tim Hatley, a lobbyist for a Seattle night-life industry group, lamented that the basic provisions outlined Thursday weren't substantially different from Nickels' plan. "At first blush, it doesn't appear much better than what the mayor proposed," he said.

Nickels had proposed that most bars and clubs that serve alcohol after 10 p.m. and that meet a specific crowd density threshold be required to obtain a $300 annual night-life license.

The mayor's office has estimated that 200 to 300 businesses would meet those standards.

The city could fine those clubs or pull their licenses if they did not comply with rules governing noise, littering, crime and violence in and near their businesses.

Clark and Drago had said in recent weeks that Nickels' plan cast too wide a net.

But now they plan to support the imposition of a new license, with some revisions from Nickels' plan. Among the changes, the council plan would:

Impose lighter penalties for violations of the new license, but stiffer penalties for violating the city's noise and nuisance rules.

Create a night-life enforcement unit, probably of two or three civilians.

Authorize a night-life advisory board to hear appeals when clubs are fined or their licenses are yanked by the mayor's head of executive administration. That board would then make recommendations about the appeal to that official.

PUBLIC COMMENT

The City Council's Economic Development and Neighborhoods Committee plans to take public testimony on the nightclub regulation proposals at 5:30 p.m. Monday at City Hall, 600 Fourth Ave. Watch it on Channel 21 if you have cable or over the Internet at seattlechannel.org. Listen to it live at 206-684-8566.