Last May the news here that the venerable Seven Seas Restaurant was turning into a strip club ignited hundreds of comments from readers, many predicting an increase in crime and decease in property values.
The Maple Leaf and Wedgwood community councils both appealed the opening, saying Pandora’s Adult Cabaret had been improperly permitted by the city. The appeals were rejected, and Pandora’s opened on July 12 at 8914 Lake City Way N.E., on the line between the two neighborhoods.
Maple Leaf Life wrote at least a dozen posts on the club last year. This year? We’ve heard nothing. So we thought we’d ask.
We can’t speak to property values, but we can about crime. We ran the entire year on the city crime map and found – nothing.
We asked Terrie Johnson, Seattle Police crime prevention coordinator for the North Precinct.
I talked to Community Police Team Officer Kipp Strong and to our Precinct Prosecutor, Jana Jorgensen, and neither one of them have had any complaints about Pandora’s. I have worked North Precinct now for 12 months, and I have had no complaints about them either.
At the Wedgwood Community Council (you could argue Pandora’s is technically in Wedgwood because it’s on the east side of Lake City Way) Per Johnson said: “I haven’t heard of any crime or complaints from neighbors. In fact, to his word, the owner emailed me a few months back to see if I’ve heard anything. So far, they seem to be a good neighbor.”
When we asked the owner, Joe Walker, he replied in part: “If there are legitimate concerns I would be more than happy to address them as needed. Having been in the business for almost 30 years I was pretty confident that the doom and gloom predictions wouldn’t come to fruition.”
I didn’t even know it was a strip club. Feck
I agree with comments about the potential effect on home resale values near by the club. But I think regardless of the club, home resale values are effected by there overall general proximity to Lake City Way, which is obviously not going anywhere.
In regards to crime, people should care a lot more about the general influx of “characters” from Lake City and Northgate, than from Pandora patrons. I don’t think middle aged men stopping by Pandora’s on their way home from work or the bar for an hour or two are who we need to worry about in terms of crime. Especially when we have 16 year old girls stabbing each other by 103rd and 1st or people getting robbed at gun point by Northgate Mall. But that is just my opinion.
Dan – I was going to say the same thing – few cars there that I have seen – I don’t think that they are doing much business, unless its during the day while I’m at work.
“There are more factors than crime rate to consider. Only time will tell.”
Absolutely true. I didn’t think it would really affect crime rates in our neighborhood anyway. Strip club attendees aren’t the kind of people we have breaking into our houses, which in my case was highschool kids. I’m more concerned with what it will do to my home value when I sell a few years from now. On the other hand, that parking lot is not very full most of the time and with Rick’s open again in Lake City, it’s possible the club won’t survive.
I was there when Brooke (I think that was her name, red head with a few children) was the apartment manager right when the strip club opened up. I know she moved before I did. My apartment faced the club directly. I wasn’t really worried about it so I didn’t think I was overly sensitive to “changes” but maybe it was just the excitement of when it was “new” that there was honking. And I suppose having my windows open during the summer months is what gave me my perception of the car noise. I didnt really experience a lot of noise from the club though. I moved away about 8/10 months ago so I didn’t get the full picture of how it’s turned out, I guess.
I’m not sure there can be any “I told you so” yet. There is always that honeymoon period of good behavior. There are more factors than crime rate to consider. Only time will tell.
Vannessa, isn’t the apartment manager of that building a guy? I live right there too, it’s been amazingly quiet, I forget there is a strip club there. No real impact on 90th or 20th in Maple Leaf across the street. Our annoying honking is the people that feel compelled to honk before they drive through the intersection of 90th and 20th at all hours of the day and night, I don’t get that.
Anyone know what’s happening at The Shanty? It looked like they were filming a movie or movie scene there over the past week or two. It’s also becoming the overflow lot for the car place across the street since it’s never open. I keep hoping someone will buy it and do live music there again, I’ve even fantasized about doing that myself.
I lived in the maple leaf plaza apartments directly across the street. My apartment manager at the time said she saw increased signs of drug use from paraphernalia she picked up around the grounds. I also couldn’t take customers honking as they drove past and the constant starting of cars and slamming of car doors throughout the night. No crime per say but I was def compelled to move and I did.