World Wide Video of Washington, Inc. v. City of Spokane

227 F. Supp. 2d 1143, 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22749, 2002 WL 31194488
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Washington
DecidedSeptember 11, 2002
DocketCS-02-074-AAM
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 227 F. Supp. 2d 1143 (World Wide Video of Washington, Inc. v. City of Spokane) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
World Wide Video of Washington, Inc. v. City of Spokane, 227 F. Supp. 2d 1143, 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22749, 2002 WL 31194488 (E.D. Wash. 2002).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT, INTER ALIA

MCDONALD, Senior District Judge.

BEFORE THE COURT is defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment (Ct. Rec.32) and Motion to Strike Expert Declarations of R. Bruce McLaughlin and Rich Crisler (Ct.Rec.64). These motions were heard with oral argument on August 22, 2002. Gilbert H. Levy, Esq., appeared for plaintiff. Stephen A. Smith, Esq., Todd L. Nunn, Esq., and Timothy E. Szambelan, Esq., appeared for defendant.

I. BACKGROUND

This is a 42 U.S.C. § 1983 action in which plaintiff contends that City of Spokane Ordinances 32778 and 33001 (“the Ordinances”) violate its First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. Plaintiff seeks injunctive and declaratory relief and damages.

II. FACTS

Defendant City of Spokane staff and outside counsel assembled a legislative record to support the regulation of adult retail businesses.

On November 29, 2000, the City Plan Commission held a public hearing to consider testimony regarding amendments to the Spokane Municipal Code (SMC) regarding Adult Retail Use Establishments. The city attorney’s office presented the legislative record and provided the Plan Commission an overview of the secondary impacts of Adult Retail Use Establish- *1147 merits on the community. Fourteen people testified at the hearing.

On December 13, 2000, the Plan Commission considered the public comments and the legislative record and voted 6 to 0 to recommend approval of the proposed amendment to the City Council.

On January 29, 2001, the Spokane City Council unanimously passed Ordinance 32778. This ordinance changed the definition of “Adult Business” in Spokane Municipal Code (SMC) § 11.17.426 to regulate “adult retail use establishments” rather than “adult bookstore[s].” It also removed the definition of “adult bookstore” from SMC § 11.19.03023 and added a definition of “adult retail use establishment.” According to § 11.19.03023:

A. An “adult retail use establishment” is an enclosed building, or any portion thereof which, for money or any other form of consideration, devotes a significant or substantial portion of stock in trade, to the sale, exchange, rental, loan, trade, transfer, or viewing of “adult oriented merchandise.”
B. “Adult oriented merchandise” means any goods, products, commodities, or other wares, including but not limited to, videos, CD ROMS, DVDs, computer disks or other storage devices, magazines, books, pamphlets, posters, cards, periodicals or non-clothing novelties which depict, describe or simulate specified anatomical areas, as defined in Section 11.19.0355, or specified sexual activities, as defined in Section 11.19.0356.

“Adult retail use establishment^]” are subject to the distancing requirements of SMC § 11.19.143 which was amended to include such establishments and now reads:

1. An adult retail use establishment and an adult entertainment establishment may not be located or maintained within seven hundred fifty feet, measured from the nearest building of the adult retail use establishment or of the adult entertainment establishment to the nearest building of any of the following pre-existing uses:
a. public library
b. public playground or park
c. public or private school and its grounds, from kindergarten to twelfth grade,
d. nursery school, mini-day care center, or day care center,
e. church, convent, monastery, synagogue, or other place of religious worship,
f. another adult retail use establishment or an adult entertainment establishment, subject to the provisions of this section.
2. An adult retail use establishment or an adult entertainment establishment may not be located within seven hundred fifty feet of any of the following zones:
a. agricultural,
b. country residential,
c. residential suburban,
d. one-family residence,
e. two-family residence,
f. multifamily residence (R3 and R4),
g. residence-office.

Ordinance 32778 also added a new section to Title 11 of the SMC by providing for an amortization period of 12 months for adult retail use establishments made nonconforming by the code amendment. A mechanism to extend the amortization period was also provided.

The City then determined it needed to provide more sites for the relocation of adult businesses under Ordinance 32778. *1148 The Plan Commission held four hearings (December 12, 2001, December 19, 2001, January 9, 2002, and February 13, 2002) to determine where to locate additional sites. The City Council held a public hearing to consider passage of Ordinance 33001. The Ordinance passed on a vote of five to two.

Plaintiff World Wide Video (WWV) owns three businesses which are affected by the Ordinances. The addresses of these businesses, named either the Hollywood Ero-tique Boutique or World Wide Video, are 3813 N. Division, 4811 N. Market and 1811 E. Sprague. Each of these businesses is an “adult retail use establishment” under SMC § 11.19.03023.

Ordinance 32778 became effective on March 10, 2001 and therefore, all nonconforming adult retail use establishments were to be terminated by March 10, 2002 (12 months from the effective date of Ordinance 32778). WWV filed an application with the City Planning Director (John Mercer) for an extension of the amortization period. The Planning Director granted a six month extension for each of WWV’s properties. WWV filed appeals to the Hearing Examiner under SMC § 11.19.395. The Hearing Examiner denied the appeals in part and held the six month extension commenced on the date of his decision (May 15, 2002). Therefore, as of this time, WWV must terminate its businesses at the aforementioned locations no later than November 15, 2002. Plaintiff has appealed the Hearing Examiner’s ruling to Spokane County Superior Court under the Land Use Petition Act, RCW 36.70C.005 et seq.

III. DISCUSSION

A. Summary Judgment Standard

The purpose of summary judgment is to avoid unnecessary trials when there is no dispute as to the facts before the court. Zweig v. Hearst Corp., 521 F.2d 1129 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 423 U.S. 1025, 96 S.Ct. 469, 46 L.Ed.2d 399 (1975). Under Fed. R.Civ.P. 56

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Bluebook (online)
227 F. Supp. 2d 1143, 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22749, 2002 WL 31194488, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/world-wide-video-of-washington-inc-v-city-of-spokane-waed-2002.