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Erlanger board approves conditional use for tattoo studio on Erlanger Road
Summary
The Erlanger Board of Adjustment on Jan. 27 approved a conditional use permit allowing a tattoo/body-art studio in a strip mall on Erlanger Road. The permit passed unanimously after staff said the proposal met spacing and parking rules in the city zoning ordinance.
The Erlanger Board of Adjustment approved a conditional use permit Jan. 27 allowing a tattoo and body-art studio to open in a vacant storefront in a strip mall on the east side of Erlanger Road.
City planner Cody Sheets recommended approval and told the board the site is a roughly 0.46-acre parcel and the vacant retail space proposed for the studio is 1,587 square feet of a six-shop building totaling about 10,406 square feet. "The retail space is also vacant, so the tattoo studio will contribute to the reuse of an underutilized property," Sheets said. He also noted the proposal complies with the city zoning ordinance’s 500-foot spacing rule for body-art services and the off-street parking standard in Section 10.05.
Applicant Brett Smith, who said he lives in Erlanger and learned tattooing locally, told the board he wants to bring his work closer to home. "I learned to tattoo in this city," Smith said. The applicant is listed as representing Ideal Realty Inc.
Sheets told the board the strip mall has 28 shared parking spaces and staff calculated the complex requires 20 spaces overall, including an estimated six spaces for the proposed tattoo parlor under the zoning standard of one space per 300 square feet. Staff recommended approval after finding the use would not be "detrimental to the health, safety, or general welfare" of nearby residents or injurious to surrounding property and that the 500-foot buffer prevents proliferation of similar uses.
The Board of Adjustment’s motion to approve the conditional use permit was made by Member John McVay and seconded by Member Noah Osterhaug. The vote was unanimous: McVay, Osterhaug, Terry Farrow, Eric Rolfe and Chair Bob Whalen all voted yes.
The record shows the Kenton County Planning Commission gave a favorable recommendation on the zoning text amendment that added tattoo and body-art services as a conditional use in the mixed-use (MU) zone on Nov. 7, 2024, and the City of Erlanger approved that text amendment Dec. 3, 2024. The board’s staff report referenced compliance with KRS 100 in determining consistency with state planning law.
No additional conditions or follow-up actions were recorded in the hearing minutes.
