Letter: Residents fear 'adult' zones
Connie Hansen
St. Augustine
Publication Date: 08/26/07
Editor: In Monday and Tuesday's editions there were three articles about the proposed adult entertainment districts.
There appears to be a great deal of fear in those articles. We all have the same fear. What the articles did not explain very well was that the City Commission went to a lot of trouble and expense trying to enact ordinances that restrict adult entertainment beyond a location. These ordinances have many prohibitive rules to make it undesirable to locate in our city. The commissioners have done a good and thorough job.
The original ordinance put the zone in one area. That would mean that all adult businesses would be located on a major entrance corridor. Studies show that clustering these businesses is detrimental, and creates problems far more serious than if just one were to locate there. Creating an adult zone has the potential for crime and blight.
If all adult businesses are in the Ponce de Leon Boulevard zone, it could ruin the area for the decent people who live there, play bridge at the St. Augustine Duplicate Bridge Club and run normal businesses and family-oriented motels. People have been living in that neighborhood much longer than there has been commercial zoning. The risk is extremely small by spreading the zoning.
Commissioner Don Crichlow said, '"Sometimes you have to say, 'Folks, I'm sorry. You chose the short straw.'" This is incorrect. The short straw was assigned. Putting the potential burden on one small area is not a good idea.
Mark Knight, the city's director of the Planning and Building department said it best, "It's a half- hour ride to Jacksonville or an hour to Daytona where (adult entertainment) is totally unregulated. Why would you come to St. Augustine when we now have all sorts of restrictions on it?"
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