Seattle Times / Ellen M. Banner

The Mariners filed a formal objection with the city about plans to open a Déjà Vu strip club at 1530 First Ave S., in building at right, about 400 feet from Safeco Field.

SEATTLE – City of Seattle planners say a proposed strip club can be placed three doors down from Safeco Field, despite protests by the Seattle Mariners.

A Seattle man wants to open a new Deja Vu strip club at 1530 First Ave S. It would be just 400 feet away from Safeco Field -- the same distance as home plate is from the center field wall.

The Mariners asked the city to reconsider, calling for further interpretation of the city code passed last year which bans strip clubs from within 800 feet of community centers, parks and schools. Seattle Municipal Code Section 23.50.012 E reads:

Any lot line of property containing any proposed new or expanding adult cabaret must be eight hundred (800) feet or more from any lot line of property containing any community center; child care center; school, elementary or secondary; or public parks and open space use.

The Mariners argued that many activities at Safeco Field are consistent with the definition of a community center. The stadium hosts tours, including school field trips. There are also other high school athletic events as well as social and civic gatherings such as the Susan G. Komen breast cancer awareness run.

The Mariners also argued that some open areas adjacent to the stadium are included on a list of “neighborhood parks, open space, recreational features and public-private open spaces” in the Downtown Planning Study Final Environmental Impact Statement.

In a decision released Thursday, the Seattle Department of Planning and Development ruled that Safeco Field does not meet the criteria of a community center, nor does it qualify as public parks or open space.

“School and public tours go to many different places, including libraries, museums and theaters, the Space Needle, the waterfront and under the sidewalks of Pioneer Square,” the ruling reads. “It would be virtually impossible to determine all of the places tours currently go, or to predict where they might, and to regulate on that basis.”

The ruling points out that just because Safeco Field is sometimes used for community purposes, that does not necessarily make the stadium a “community center.” It also states that according to city code, “spectator sports facilities” are specifically regulated as a different category than “public parks and open space.”

The ruling can still be appealed in superior court.

Seattle was forced to enact the strip club codes after a federal court ruling lifted an almost two-decade city moratorium on new adult establishments.