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Council amends downtown zoning to allow tattoo parlors as permitted use
Summary
After planning commission and DDA input, Coldwater city council amended the zoning ordinance to allow tattoo parlors as a permitted use downtown without the corridor restrictions previously proposed; an amendment passed by roll call and the ordinance was adopted.
The Coldwater City Council voted to amend city zoning to allow tattoo parlors as a permitted use in the downtown commercial district, removing corridor restrictions that would have barred parlors along West Chicago Street, US 12 and parts of South Monroe.
Bob Hall, the planning and zoning administrator, briefed the council on second reading of ordinance 8-72 and on a planning commission recommendation and a supplemental proposal from the planning commission to permit tattoo parlors without corridor restrictions. He said the planning commission had unanimously voted to recommend approval and that the DDA had submitted comments included in council packets.
Council discussion referenced the planning commission and DDA input and included differing views on downtown character and whether corridor limits were appropriate. One council member urged a cautious step-by-step approach (suggesting starting with Monroe Street only), while others said tattooing is “an art form” and that modern parlors are regulated and generally clean.
Councilmember Risman moved to amend the pending ordinance to make tattoo parlors a permitted use with no corridor restrictions; the council recorded a roll-call vote on the amendment: Risman — yes; McCann — no; Nack — no; Houts — yes; Hazel Baker — yes; Petzko — yes; Mayor Kramer — yes. The amendment carried 5–2. Council then voted to adopt ordinance 8-72 with the amendment; the adoption passed by voice vote with the clerk recording two no votes and two abstentions (names for the final no/abstentions were not specified in the public transcript).
Hall reminded the council that tattoo parlors are regulated by the state and require state licensing. The council’s action replaces a prior prohibition and allows applicants to pursue business licensing and required zoning approvals consistent with downtown standards.
