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Council advances 1,000‑foot buffer for massage establishments; ordinance introduced
Summary
The council introduced an ordinance to increase buffer distances for massage establishments to 1,000 feet from sensitive uses and jurisdictional boundaries, and found the zone‑text amendment categorically exempt under the CEQA common‑sense exemption.
City planning staff presented Zone Text Amendment 26‑02, which would increase the required buffer for massage establishments from 500 to 1,000 feet from sensitive uses (including schools, parks, day‑care centers and residential zones) and from jurisdictional boundaries. The staff presentation noted that no legally permitted massage establishments currently operate in the city and that the amendment reduces the number of eligible parcels from roughly 1,976 to 16.
Deputy City Attorney Chelsea Ballot explained state law limits: licensed health providers and certain licensed therapists are not automatically regulated as massage establishments unless they offer massage as a service, and therefore many licensed therapeutic practices remain exempt from the city’s Title 17 conditional‑use and buffer rules where state law preempts local regulation.
After public hearing and staff responses to council questions, the council moved and carried a motion (5–0) to introduce ordinance number 12‑92 by title only, adopting the zoning text amendment and the staff recommendation that the action is categorically exempt under CEQA (common‑sense exemption). The ordinance reading will proceed through regular adoption procedures.
