Adult site doesn’t break law

If an Oregon couple decide to continue their adult business after moving into a north Scottsdale home, there’s not much city officials could do about it.

Kevin and Sandra Otterson, proprietors of an adult Web site called Wifey’s World, bought a lot in the upscale Ancala neighborhood in March. The couple, both in their 40s, go by the screen names of “Hubby” and “Wifey.”

City Attorney Deborah Robberson said that if the city’s laws regarding home occupations and zoning aren’t being violated, and there’s no discernible criminal activity, officials would be hardpressed to take any action. City law does not address the production of adult material in private homes, she said.

“We don’t have any special regulatory powers in regard to the nature of the business,” Robberson said.

The Ottersons, who previously lived in Scottsdale, have resided in Oregon City, Ore., for two years. Their Web site, which features the couple performing explicit sexual acts, has been operating since 1998.

Late last month, someone circulated a flier among the Ottersons’ potential Scottsdale neighbors warning of the family’s planned move to the area. The flier purports to be from a group called the Northeast Valley Coalition Against Pornography.

The flier includes photos of the Ottersons and questions whether neighbors would want their children visiting the home. It also claims that adult-industry stars will be frequent visitors to the neighborhood.

Several city officials are listed as contacts, as well. Judy Register, the city’s general manager for citizen and neighborhood resources, said she was unaware of the flier before its publication, or that her name would be included. She said she is not in contact with whoever produced it.

“I don’t know who the group is at all,” she said. “It came out of the clear blue for us.”

She said it’s premature for city officials to do anything about the Ottersons.

“There can be no action at this point,” she said. “There’s not even a house there.”

The land didn’t come cheap. The Maricopa County Assessor’s Office lists the value of the couple’s Scottsdale property at $456,000.

Register said that if the Ottersons move in and continue production, it’s unlikely that city code enforcement could do anything about it.

The city’s home occupations ordinance would not apply to the use of regular computer equipment to film adult material in a home or the selling of access to a Web site, Register said.

Scottsdale police would not be able to intervene either.

“Unless it becomes an illegal activity of some sort, the police would not become involved,” Register said.

Vice Mayor Jim Lane said that attempts to regulate Wifey’s World or similar ventures could get into issues of privacy.

I may not like the idea either, but I’m wondering how much control we want to exercise on people in their own homes,” he said.

The Ottersons did not respond to repeated requests for comment.