Committee member raises concern about possible adult venue at leased downtown property

A committee member told the Struthers City Council finance and legislation committee that rumors circulate about a recently leased downtown building possibly becoming a strip club or other adult-oriented business, and members agreed to seek legal guidance before taking action.

The committee member said, “there are rumors going around that the possible new lease building has interest in becoming a strip club or some sort of adult venue.” Members discussed options including checking Ohio law for minimum distances from schools and churches and reviewing how other municipalities regulate adult uses. “We’d have to… sit down with John and go over legally what we can do,” another member said.

Members noted the property’s past — a segment of the discussion referenced the building having been condemned previously and a $140,000 figure for the sale — and acknowledged uncertainty about whether the buyer must bring the structure up to code immediately or only upon opening to the public. One member said the city should be prepared even if the current rumor does not materialize: “even if this isn’t going to be it…it exposed that we don't have something there and it may come in the future.”

Council members asked the law director and administration to research relevant state code (for example, distance requirements from schools or churches) and to survey ordinances in other cities for possible language the city could use. Committee members agreed to reconvene with the law director’s guidance before proposing any ordinance language.

The committee did not propose or adopt any ordinance at the meeting; members directed staff and the law director to report back with specific legal options and model ordinance language.