Wednesday, March 29, 2000
Monroe weighs zoning rules
Changes would strengthen code for adult stores
BY JANET C. WETZEL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MONROE — Sections of the city's zoning code dealing with sexually oriented businesses should be beefed up by mid-May.
During a meeting Tuesday, council had public hearings and first readings on proposed zone changes with that goal.
No residents spoke for or against the zone changes.
Council will have a second reading and vote at the April 11 meeting. And if the zone changes, which the city planning commission recommends passing, are approved by council they will become effective 30 days later, said City Manager Don Whitman.
The changes came on the recommendation of Community Defense Counsel (CDC), an Arizona-based law firm that advises local governments dealing with sexually oriented businesses.
Monroe officials agreed to work with CDC in December. That relationship came at the request of Sharonville-based Citizens for Community Values (CCV), which wanted the city to consult with CDC to see if Monroe's laws needed to be strengthened after land was purchased at Ohio 63 and Interstate 75 for a Hustler store.
During Tuesday's meeting, CDC President Scott Bergthold highlighted results of various studies showing the negative effect of sexually oriented businesses in various cities around the country.
They include increased crime, general blight, decreased property values and negative perceptions about the area's safety and desirablity, Mr. Bergthold said.
“Monroe's current zoning ordinance is fully adequate,” Mr. Bergthold said. “But we feel it's better to have a much clearer, shorter process.”
The proposed zone changes include eliminating the need for a conditional use permit for sexually oriented businesses, which can be located only in commercial zones. But the list of requirements remain, including prohibiting sexually oriented businesses within 1,000 feet of one another, a church, a motel, residences, schools and more.
The changes will eliminate the need for review and a public hearing by the planning commission and will remove the gray area. Businesses will either meet the requirements, or be out of luck, said Jay Stewart, zoning enforcement officer.
Jimmy Flynt, brother of Hustler Publisher Larry Flynt, said this week he does not expect the changes to affect his plans, and said he hopes to start work on the store this week.
The city this week received a letter detailing the store's proposed content. The need for more details has held up a deci sion on the site plan.
The site plan says 40 percent of the store, or 2,389 square feet, will contain adult merchandise, which Mr. Flynt said will include sex toys, X-rated videos and adult magazines.
Monroe City Law Director Philip Callahan said the letter clarifies items that will be sexually explicit.
Mr. Callahan said it's highly unlikely the Flynt project will be affected by the proposed zoning changes. He said the existing codes are sufficient to govern an adult entertainment facility, and the changes are mostly housekeeping.
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