Adult trade site idea shelved

Adult trade site idea shelved

Seeking proactive approach, St. Augustine City Commission struggles with hot potato

KATI BEXLEY
kati.bexley@staugustinerecord.com
Publication Date: 07/27/07


The city is no longer proposing to put adult entertainment in one area of the city, and under possible new restrictions the businesses could be located near residences.

The St. Augustine City Commission held a workshop on the topic Thursday. It was spurred by roughly 60 people who attended a city meeting to speak against putting the businesses in a defined section of St. Augustine.

City staff presented a plan Thursday in which adult businesses are only allowed in the city's most dense commercial zoning areas, and they would be prohibited within a certain range of schools, churches, parks and places that sell alcohol. But that doesn't exclude residential areas.

Mark Knight, city planning and building director, said the first area proposed, which flared controversy, is the only section of the city that is away from residences, churches, parks and places that sell alcohol.

The original proposed area is four parcels of land off Ponce de Leon Boulevard just north of State Road 16.

"We may get to a point where we bite the bullet and choose the area with the least amount of residents next to it and put it there," said Mayor Joe Boles.

The other commissioners said the city already tried that.

"We did that and look at the people who were against it," said Commissioner Errol Jones. "Everywhere you go it's going to be, 'Why mine versus yours?'

"We're going to expose all our residents to this, or we're going to expose none of them."

The 10 members of the public who attended the workshop applauded and cheered Jones' comments.

Previously, the city did not have regulations for adult businesses, including strip clubs, and they could have located in any commercial zone in the city. The commission tried to be proactive by creating the ordinances before the city faced that problem.

Commissioners have already approved two other ordinances that say how the businesses can operate, including their hours and alcohol sales.

The commission will discuss the issue at its regular meeting on Aug. 13.

Commissioners asked city staff to draft maps showing areas in the highest-density commercial zoning and are also either 500 or 200 feet from churches, schools, parks and places that sell alcohol.

Knight said the most dense commercial zoning is located on the north end of San Marco Avenue, U.S. 1 and Ponce de Leon Boulevard, West King Street and the State Road 312 area.


Click here to return to story:
http://staugustine.com/stories/072707/news_4737751.shtml

© The St. Augustine Record