City Reaches Deal To Close Iguana Club -- Pier 70 Cantina Source Of Violence

The trouble-plagued Iguana Rockin' Cantina, which the city of Seattle has sought to shut down as a public nuisance, will close its doors May 22 as part of a settlement reached last night with the City Attorney's Office.

The settlement came on the eve of a court hearing today on the city's lawsuit aimed at closing the Pier 70 dance club. City Attorney Mark Sidran says the club has been a source of continuous violence for several years.

"(The settlement) is a victory," Sidran said last night. "But it's a shame that so many people have been hurt and that it took a lawsuit for the Iguana to take responsibility for its patrons and for the community."

As part of the settlement, the Iguana will pay the city about $400 to cover court expenses and agreed not to advertise it is going out of business, Sidran said.

The settlement also allows the city to seek immediate closure of the Iguana if a serious incident erupts at the club between now and May 22. Representatives of the city and the club were to sign the agreement this morning.

The Iguana is popular for its Friday night R&B and hip-hop nights, as well as the occasional sightings there of Seattle Sonics basketball players.

According to the lawsuit filed April 13 by the city, the club has generated 371 police calls to 911 and more than 200 police reports over a three-year period. Other incidents cited by the city included a fatal shooting of a patron by a security guard in the

parking lot; the death of a patron who left the club and was struck by a train; the beating of two men pulled out of their cars at closing time; and a fight that escalated from the club to the sidewalk in which a woman ran her car into three others.

In the week after the lawsuit was filed, the Iguana announced that it had been sold for an undisclosed price and that it would close by mid-July at the latest.

Still, the city wanted to pursue a court hearing seeking immediate closure of the club.

The city had argued the Iguana was too risky to stay open until the summer. And the club had said it wanted to fight the city to preserve its reputation and give time for 30 club employees to find other work.

But last night, Iguana attorney David Osgood said the club's owner decided to settle out of fear the hearing could jeopardize the sale. The club, owned by Jordy Scze, was sold to Triad Development, the property owner.

"We sat down. We had a heart to heart, and we felt there was too much to lose," Osgood said.

"If we had lost, we would have lost everything. If we had won, we would have won two more months of operation."

Sidran has maintained he was targeting the Iguana to ensure public safety. That issue - protecting the community from problem nightclubs - is what Sidran says is driving his current proposal for a new "added activities license." This license would require clubs to get permission from the city before adding entertainment, such as music.

Sidran will present the proposal to the City Council next month.

Florangela Davila's phone message number is 206-464-2916. Her e-mail address is: fdav-new@seatimes.com