A collective sigh of relief may be heard from many in White Center as Club Evo’s attempt to reopen as Club Reventon on 16th Ave S.W. has been denied by the Department of Development and Environmental Services (DDES), according to King County Councilmember Joe McDermott.

Club Evo was shut down in fall 2010, an injunction placed upon the business for operating without proper licenses that violated land use and building code requirements.

Community outcry had been raging for some time over the Friday and Saturday night crime linked with Evo’s all-ages club. There were reported fights outside – sometimes involving guns and knives, windows broken in downtown White Center, teenagers drinking in their vehicles before going into the club and a shooting inside the club on September 4, 2010.

News of Club Evo’s license denial comes three days after the King County Council passed a one-year moratorium on any new dance clubs opening in the North Highline area.

Members of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council and White Center Chamber of Commerce had voiced clear opposition to Evo owner Alfredo Lopez’s intent to reopen since he made those plans public earlier this summer.