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St. Albans council holds first reading to define and limit smoke shops
Summary
Council held a first reading of proposed zoning bylaw amendments that would define "smoke shop," limit new smoke shops to the Service Industrial District and tighten signage rules; the item was informational only and no vote was taken.
The St. Albans City Council held a first reading of proposed zoning bylaw changes that would create a new definition for "smoke shop," confine new smoke-shop businesses to the Service Industrial District and reduce allowable signage for those uses.
Council members said the amendment defines a smoke shop as any business whose product displays or sales floor devote 20% or more to tobacco-, vaping- or paraphernalia-related items, and also includes any business that self-identifies as a smoke shop.
City planning staff told the council the draft amendment would list smoke shops as a conditional use only in the Service Industrial District, the same approach the city uses for adult-entertainment businesses. The draft would also forbid home occupations or home industries from operating in a manner that “resembles a smoke shop or adult entertainment establishment,” language staff said was added following court decisions in other towns to preserve enforcement options.
The proposal would limit signage for smoke shops and adult-entertainment establishments to 50% of the square footage normally permitted under the city’s signage rules, ban flashing or integrated lighting on those signs, and require signs to use non-integrated down-lighting. Staff noted signs visible inside a shop but not attached to a window or wall are not treated as external signage under the rule.
The council and staff discussed grandfathering: an existing smoke shop on Fairfield Street would be allowed to continue operating but would be subject to the new rules if it made substantial changes (for example, replacing a sign or expanding into adjoining space). Council members and staff also discussed outreach to the current business to encourage voluntary compliance, and flagged proximity to the high school as a principal public-health concern mentioned by students and community advocates.
The amendment was presented as a first reading; no action or vote was taken. Council members asked staff to prepare the ordinance for a future public hearing and to circulate notice to affected property owners.
Amy Brewer, coordinator for the Franklin County Tobacco Prevention Coalition, spoke during public comment and said she supported the changes, telling the council the new rules would help protect high-school and middle-school students from tobacco- and vaping-related influences.
If and when the council schedules a public hearing, staff said they will return with a final draft, statutory citations and recommended placement of the new use in the zoning table.
