Jamestown council approves zoning change to allow arcades in downtown commercial district after lengthy public hearing

The Jamestown Town Council on Monday approved an amendment to the town zoning use table to permit amusement or video arcades by right in the Commercial Downtown (CD) zoning district and adopted a revised definition of "amusement or video arcade." The public hearing and debate — which drew residents, business owners and a representative of the applicant — focused on noise, parking, hours of operation and the proper level of municipal review.

The change modifies Table 6-1 (Section 6, Commercial Retail) to allow amusement/video arcades in the CD district and adopts the revised definition put forward by the planning commission: "Any place of business where more than 5 pay-per-play mechanical amusement devices and/or electronic video games are located for use by the general public," Christian Fantalino, the applicant27s attorney, told the council.

The planning commission sent a memo to the council recommending a more restrictive approach: use as a special permit in the CD zone with specific standards. "Rather than say no to the applicant, we would say yes, and it was a unanimous yes with conditions," the commission27s vice chair told the council during the hearing, explaining the commission preferred to narrow the permitted area and retain extra review through a special-use process. Council members and members of the public debated whether the town27s existing ordinances on noise, lighting, parking and signage sufficiently address the council27s concerns or whether extra, project-level review was needed.

Supporters said the arcade would bring pedestrian traffic back to Narragansett Avenue and provide year-round family entertainment. "Jamestown27s central business district . . . should encourage businesses which generate pedestrians on a regular basis. An arcade as proposed will do exactly that," Fantalino said, noting the proposed operator already operates locations in other states and the building at 20 Narragansett Avenue includes more on-site parking than most downtown properties.

Opponents, speaking during the public comment portion of the hearing, urged caution. Jane Gilgun, a resident, told the council, "The risk of having an arcade in Jamestown outweighs benefits," citing research she said shows potential developmental and behavioral risks for children and younger users. Several residents who live on Knowles Court — a narrow service road at the rear of Narragansett Avenue where the applicant has described the likely entry and parking access — told the council they feared overflow parking, emergency vehicle access problems and impacts to the immediate residential neighborhood.

Council and staff answered technical questions during the hearing. Town Planner Lisa Bridal noted that some controls already exist in the town code (noise limits, sign standards and parking requirements) and that introducing arcades as an allowed use would not eliminate other regulatory reviews such as development plan review when a new use is established in the village overlay.

Attorney Christian Fantalino emphasized the applicant27s willingness to limit the use to the CD district and said the applicant would accept some restrictions: "We will knock it down to the CD zone," he told the council, adding the applicant had not agreed to a machine cap but acknowledged planning had suggested one in its review.

After public comment and discussion, a council member moved to accept the revised definition and change the use entry in the CD column from "N" (not allowed) to "Y" (allowed). The motion carried. Following the vote the council chair closed the public hearing.

What happens next: The amendment changes the zoning use table and the definition; it does not approve a specific operator or a building permit. Any operator who opens an arcade in the CD zone will still need to comply with town ordinances (building, parking, health if food is served, noise, signage) and any development plan or technical review required for that location.

Votes and formal action: The council approved the zoning amendment and adopted the revised definition during the meeting. (See the meeting-wide votes list for other formal actions taken.)