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

103 P.3d 1265, 125 Wash. App. 289, 2005 Wash. App. LEXIS 51
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedJanuary 11, 2005
DocketNos. 22092-3-III; 22093-1-III
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 103 P.3d 1265 (World Wide Video of Washington, Inc. v. City of Spokane) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of 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, 103 P.3d 1265, 125 Wash. App. 289, 2005 Wash. App. LEXIS 51 (Wash. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

¶1 — By ordinance, the city of Spokane requires all adult retail use establishments (adult stores) to observe specific location requirements. For instance, such establishments may not be located within 750 feet of schools, places of religious worship, public parks, other adult stores, or certain residential zones. Ordinance C-32778, codified as former Spokane Municipal Code (SMC) 11.19.143(D) (2001). When it became effective in March 2001, the ordinance provided an amortization period of one year for nonconforming adult stores to relocate or change the nature of their businesses, with a procedure for additional extensions of this deadline. Former SMC 11.19.395 (2001).

Schultheis, J.

¶2 On appeal, we are asked to decide whether regulating the location of adult stores violates state and federal constitutional rights. We also address whether the administrative hearing on the extension of the deadline for three nonconforming adult stores owned by World Wide Video of Washington, Inc. (WWV), followed proper procedures and reached a decision based on substantial evidence. We con-[296]*296elude that the First Amendment issues were settled in a previous case and that review of the free speech issues under the state constitution is not justified. We find no violation of additional constitutional rights. Further, finding no error in the administrative procedures or in the decision to grant an extension of the amortization period, we affirm.

Facts

¶3 Spokane ordinance C-32778 was adopted in January 2001 to address civic concerns about the harmful secondary effects associated with adult stores. World Wide Video of Wash., Inc. v. City of Spokane, 368 F.3d 1186, 1188 (9th Cir. 2004). By establishing setback requirements, the ordinance sought to limit citizen contact with such secondary effects as prostitution, public lewdness, used condoms, and video package litter featuring graphic depictions of sexual acts. Id. at 1190 n.6. The ordinance defined an adult retail use establishment as “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,... or viewing of ‘adult oriented merchandise.’ ” Ordinance C-32778, codified as SMC 11.19.03023. Adult oriented merchandise was further defined as goods such as videos, DVDs (digital video disc), and printed materials that depict or describe specified anatomical areas or sexual activities. Ordinance C-32778, codified as SMC 11.19.03023. Pursuant to former SMC 11.19.143(D),

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,
[297]*297d. 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.

See also World Wide, 368 F.3d at 1189 n.2. Former SMC 11.19.395 set out the effect of ordinance C-32778 on nonconforming adult stores:

Any adult retail use establishment located within the City of Spokane on the date this provision becomes effective, which is made a nonconforming use by this provision, shall be terminated within twelve (12) months of the date this provision becomes effective, pursuant to Section 11.19.0336. Provided, however, that such termination date may be extended upon the approval of a written application filed with the Planning Director no later than one (1) month prior to the end of such twelve (12) month amortization period.
The administrative decision on whether or not to approve any extension period and the length of such extension period shall be based upon the applicant clearly demonstrating extreme economic hardship based upon an irreversible financial investment or commitment made prior to the date this provision becomes effective, which precludes reasonable alternative uses of the subject property.

[298]*298¶4 WWV operates three adult stores in Spokane in buildings leased from Marco Barbanti.1 Two of the leases are long-term: one for 25 years (the Market lease, signed in September 1998) and the other for 40 years (the Division lease, signed in April 2000). After learning that the Spokane stores did not comply with ordinance C-32778, WWV applied to Spokane planning services for an extension of the amortization period and simultaneously challenged the constitutionality of the ordinance in federal district court. Mr. Barbanti also applied for an extension. He claimed that if WWV defaulted on the leases he would lose $600,000 in revenue from the Division lease and $125,000 in revenue from the Market lease.

¶5 In March 2002, the Spokane city council adopted ordinance C-33001, which provided additional areas in the city that could accommodate adult stores. World Wide, 368 F.3d at 1189. Earlier that month, the director of planning services, John Mercer, reviewed the Barbanti and WWV requests for extensions of the amortization period. Mr. Mercer found that the leases for all three businesses allowed for a change in use (with landlord consent) and specified that the premises could not be used in a manner that constituted a nuisance or violated an ordinance. He also noted that neither party requested a specific extension period for relocation to a conforming site. Finding that the leases resulted in “some economic hardship,” and that proposed ordinance C-33001 would provide additional areas for relocation, Mr. Mercer approved a six-month extension of the termination date. 1 Appeal Board R. He filed similar decisions for all three leases.

f 6 WWV and Mr. Barbanti timely filed appeals of the planning director’s decisions to the Spokane hearing examiner, Greg Smith. World Wide, 368 F.3d at 1189. In a hearing held in April 2002, Mr. Smith refused to consider additional evidence and declared he would review the planning director’s decisions on the record. Mr. Smith [299]*299upheld the six-month extension, but held that it would rim from the date of his May 15, 2002 decision. As a result, WWV was required to relocate or change the nature of its businesses by November 15, 2002.

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Related

World Wide Video of Washington, Inc. v. City of Spokane
103 P.3d 1265 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2005)

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Bluebook (online)
103 P.3d 1265, 125 Wash. App. 289, 2005 Wash. App. LEXIS 51, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/world-wide-video-of-washington-inc-v-city-of-spokane-washctapp-2005.