The proposed "Pandora's Adult Cabaret" at 8914 Lake City Way NE, has now made the news. Apparently, the property owner has now notified the current tenant, Seven Seas Restaurant, that its lease will not be renewed. The current lease ends May 31, 2011. The restaurant posted on its entrance, a heartfelt goodbye letter to it patrons (contained in the story belows). That seems to be how the item made the news. Neighbors, now outraged, contacted the city to inquire why no neighborhood notice was given, and didn't like the answer they received. Perhaps they then went to the media; local news sources that have thus far reported the story are KOMO radio and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (on-line).
Now it looks as if the Pandora's owners have possession of the property and may begin the work of converting the restauant to a strip club. Photos, interior and exterior, of the restaurant are shown in the following story and links within the story:
(If this opens, and the former Rick's strip club property reopens as a strip club, there will then be three strip clubs, all within three miles of each other on Lake City Way.)
I feel bad for the restaurant owners- it sounds like they were somewhat blindsided, although they had to suspect their lease wasn't going to be renewed if it was up in a couple of months and they hadn't been able to work out the renewal.
Of course, if that stupid 800-foot rule wasn't in place, then Jiggles wouldn't have closed, and the people who bought the Seven Seas building wouldn't now be forcing out the restaurant to open their club- it sounds like they bought it two years ago knowing the lease would expire soon and it wasn't near schools/daycares. That's not a prime location, but the city is kind of forcing anyone who wants to open a strip club to knock out locations like these.
It'll be good to see more choices open up, although until they actually open up either/both places as clubs, I'm not holding my breath. I see the prudish-nanny press is already trying to paint the story of how it's not legal- sadly reporting there are no schools nearby, but happily pointing out the construction license isn't the same as a permit, and their may need to be more reviews, oh joy!
Fucking Seattle...