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Planning board narrows adult‑entertainment draft, asks police to quantify service impacts before commission review
Summary
After public opposition, the board unanimously forwarded an adult‑entertainment ordinance to the City Commission with recommended changes: increased spacing (750 feet) from schools/parks/churches and between establishments (by pedestrian path), limited signage and illuminated‑only‑during‑hours rules, minimum security certification or off‑duty police, and earlier closing hours (3 a.m. Sun–Thu, 4 a.m. Fri–Sat).
The Planning Board on April 14 voted unanimously to forward an ordinance that would regulate adult‑entertainment uses in the Transit Supportive Development District to the City Commission, but only after tightening standards and asking staff and the police department to quantify municipal service impacts.
City Attorney Edward Martos reminded the board that an earlier draft’s 1,000‑foot spacing requirement could amount to an effective prohibition of the use, prompting legal concern. The revised draft identifies two industrial‑oriented streets (Progress and Commerce) as candidate frontages for such uses and leaves room for specific operational conditions.
A resident who lives near the existing adult‑entertainment operator, Amy Donner, urged the board to reject or relocate the use, saying patrons spill into neighboring blocks and police responses are frequent. "It's awful," she said, citing reports of disorder she has observed.
Board members proposed a set of safeguards before sending the draft to the Commission: add a signage height limit and require any illuminated sign be active only during operating hours; require a minimum D‑class security certification (or such greater standard as the police chief recommends) for private security and explore requiring off‑duty police presence where practical; shorten allowable operating hours so activity ends at 3 a.m. Sunday–Thursday and 4 a.m. Friday–Saturday; and change spacing requirements to 750 feet from parks, schools and churches and 750 feet between adult establishments measured by pedestrian path (door‑to‑door/front‑door measurement). They also asked staff to produce data on service calls and other municipal impacts to inform the Commission.
The board approved sending the ordinance with those conditions and direction that staff coordinate with law enforcement on the feasibility of any minimum officer requirement or higher security standard.
