Several bar and club owners in the area have joined a city-wide lobbying group to fight a proposed Seattle ordinance that would force nightclubs to get a special license and follow stricter noise and safety requirements.

Pete Hanning, a member of a new lobbying group, said the ordinance is too broadly defined and distributes most of the regulatory power to city departments, rather than empowering an independent group.

"I feel the net is being widened too much," said Hanning, who owns the Red Door in Fremont.

Places that meet the city's description of a nightclub would be required to apply for a nightclub license. The city defines a nightclub as any business that after 10 p.m. has "amplified live entertainment, or recorded music conducted by a disc jockey, sells liquor and has an occupant load of 50 or more people."

The proposal would require business owners to patrol within 100 feet of their establishment starting at least 30 minutes before and after closing time. Staff must also prevent people from entering the club with weapons or illegal drugs.

But Hanning said that having a disc jockey in the corner shouldn't define a business as a nightclub.

"They have (disc jockeys) in coffee shops--it's nothing new," he said.

Dan Cowan, owner of the Tractor Tavern on Ballard Avenue said the proposal "disrespects the music and nightlife industry and puts too much control in the hands of the city."

"Hopefully we can find a unified voice and protect our rights," said Cowan, who said he plans to join the new lobbying association.

A license could also be taken away if sound coming from a nightclub or an adjacent area is heard from "inside a residence or business for a continuous period of 20 seconds or longer." But since Washington voters approved the smoking ban last year, sending patrons-and their conversations- to the sidewalks, the noise ordinance seems unreasonable, said Cowan.

In addition to the proposed ordinance, the city has asked several establishments in the city to sign Good Neighbor Agreements. Through such legally binding contracts, businesses agree to a list of rules that address community concerns negotiated between the city, residents and business owners.

The mayor feels the proposal is necessary because of increased tensions between the growing number of residents, businesses and entertainment venues in Seattle, said James Keblas, director of the mayor's Office of Film and Music.

The mayor's nightlife task force met with city officials last week to discuss the proposal. At the meeting, the nightlife association comprised of some bar and club owners throughout Seattle submitted a list of their concerns to the task force. A new proposal is expected from the mayor within the next few weeks and could be presented to the Seattle City Council by the end of September.

"A lot more conversation still needs to happen before any final documents get proposed as legislation to the city council," said Keblas. "I can assure you the mayor wants a vibrant and safe nightlife scene and music industry in Seattle."

Dwayne Edwards and Andrea Martin, co-owners of the BalMar cocktail lounge, said they are troubled by the stringent regulations and broad definitions in the current proposal.

"A nightclub to me elicits guys in suits standing at the door with headsets," said Edwards. "(The city's) definition of a nightclub is virtually everyplace in Seattle that serves alcohol and plays music."

Martin said she'd have to hire another security guard to meet the requirements and possibly soundproof the bar.

"That becomes a significant expense," she said. "I can't imagine a bar owner not being worried about this."

Several bar and club owners across the city have similar concerns. The Seattle Nightlife and Music Association, which quickly formed to fight the proposal's "onerous regulations," is largely concerned with a portion of the ordinance that grants extensive powers to the city, said Tim Hatley, a lobbyist hired by the industry group.

The ordinance gives the director of the city's Department of Executive Administration the discretion to establish conditions in addition to the operating rules, such as requiring a certain number of security guards and even limiting times and days of entertainment.

"There's no parameters--there's nothing in this ordinance that promotes a vibrant nightlife in Seattle," Hatley said. "The noise ordinance is a very subjective and non-measurable standard."

Max Genereaux, owner of the Sunset Tavern and member of the task force, said the proposal could be a positive step towards increasing public safety at bars and clubs.

"If I continue to operate my business the way I do, I won't have any problems," said Genereaux, also a member of the new lobbying group. "Those who operate their establishment responsibly won't have to worry."

But Hanning said the new regulations could potentially shutter some businesses and contradicts the urban growth the city has been promoting for years.

"There's no silver bullet here," said Hanning, co-chair of the mayor's nightlife task force. "This is the first time we are seeing a real focused vertical sprawl growth in Seattle. The issue about noise is only going to increase."

The ordinance would also create a city appointed nightclub advisory board, comprised of residents and nightclub licensees to work with the clubs on compliance of the new rules. But most of the regulatory authority would still fall to city departments rather than an independent group, said Hatley.

Hanning is worried that the mayor doesn't recognize the importance of the nightlife scene to Seattle's economy.

"If it gets out that Seattle is not a pro-business, pro nightlife city, we'll start losing our gigs," he said.