07-39RESOLUTION NO. 2007 - 39
RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING FINDINGS OF FACT THAT
ZONING AND LICENSING REGULATIONS
OF SEXUALLY ORIENTED BUSINESSES ARE
NECESSARY TO MINIMIZE THE POTENTIAL SECONDARY ADVERSE
EFFECTS OF SUCH BUSINESSES ON THE CITY OF OTSEGO.
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF OTSEGO HEREBY RESOLVES THAT:
LEGAL BACKGROUND
WHEREAS, the Otsego City Council has been provided with background
information on sexually oriented businesses which, in summary fashion, is as follows:
The United States Supreme Court in its decisions of Young v. American
Mini Theaters, 96 S.Ct. 2440 (1976), and City of Renton v. Playtime
Theaters,106 S.Ct. 925 (1986) has held that sexually oriented businesses
engaged in the offering of adult fare characterized by an emphasis on
matter depicting specified sexual activities or anatomical areas may not be
completely prohibited from doing business within cities by municipal
ordinances.
2. The Supreme Court has further held that municipalities may regulate
sexually oriented businesses with lawfully enacted content -neutral time,
place and manner zoning and licensing ordinances if said regulations are
not merely a pretext for completely prohibiting within a City sexually
oriented businesses based on the content of the material being offered.
3. The Supreme Court has concluded that lawful content -neutral time, place
and manner regulations may have as their focus the minimization of the
adverse secondary effects on a community generated by the location and
operation of a sexually oriented business within a community. Adverse
secondary effects are defined as:
a. Increased incidence of crime.
b. Diminution of property values within the community and especially
the values of those properties adjacent to or in close proximity to
the sexually oriented business, and
C. Increased risk for the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
FINDINGS OF FACT
WHEREAS, based on the legal background referenced herein, the Otsego City
Council hereby makes the following Findings of Fact in connection with the regulation of
sexually oriented businesses within the City:
1. That the City Council has reviewed and considered all the material and
unsworn testimony presented before it in connection with the regulation of
sexually oriented businesses within the City.
2. The City Council has reviewed and studied the "Report of the Attorney
General's Working Group on Regulation of Sexually Oriented
Businesses", dated June 6, 1989 referred to hereafter as the "Report".
3. The Report considered evidence from studies conducted in Minneapolis
and St. Paul and in other cities throughout the country relating to sexually
oriented businesses.
4. The Attorney General's Report, based upon the above referenced studies
and the testimony presented to it has concluded "that sexually oriented
businesses are associated with high crime rates and depression of
property values". In addition, the Attorney General's Work Group "...heard
testimony that the character of a neighborhood can dramatically change
when there is a concentration of sexually oriented businesses adjacent to
residential property".
5. The Report concludes that sexually oriented businesses have an impact
on the neighborhoods surrounding them which is distinct from the impact
caused by other commercial uses.
6. The Report concludes that residential neighborhoods located within close
proximity to adult theaters, book stores, and other sexually oriented
businesses experience increased crime rates (sex-related crimes in
particular), lowered property values, increased transiency, and decreased
stability of ownership.
7. The Report concludes the adverse impacts which sexually oriented
businesses have on surrounding areas diminished as the distance from
the sexually oriented businesses increases.
8. The Report concludes that studies of other cities have shown that among
the crimes which tend to increase either within or in the near vicinity of
sexually oriented businesses are rapes, prostitution, child molestation,
indecent exposure, and other lewd and lascivious behavior.
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9. The Report concludes that the Phoenix, Arizona study confirmed that the
sex crime rate was on the average 500 percent higher in areas with
sexually oriented businesses.
10. The Report concludes that many members of the public perceive areas
within which sexually oriented businesses are located as less safe than
other areas which do not have such uses.
11. The Report concludes that studies of other cities have shown that the
values of both commercial and residential properties either are diminished
or fail to appreciate at the rate of other comparable properties when
located in proximity to sexually oriented businesses.
12. The Report concludes that the Indianapolis, Indiana study established that
professional real estate appraisers believe that an adult book store would
have negative effect on the value of both residential and commercial
properties within a one to three block area of the store.
13. The City Council finds the suburban characteristics of Otsego are similar
to those of the cities cited by the Reports when considering the effects of
sexually oriented businesses and that the findings concerning the effects
of sexually oriented businesses in other cities documented in the Reports
are relevant to Otsego's circumstances.
14. The City Council finds, based upon the Report and the studies citied
herein, that sexually oriented businesses will have adverse secondary
effects upon certain pre-existing land uses within the City of Otsego and
that in reliance on the data and conclusions made by the studies
documented in the Report, it is not necessary for Otsego to conduct its
own independent study concerning the effects of sexually oriented
businesses locating within the City.
15. Pursuant to the United States Supreme Court case of CRY of Renton v.
Playtime Theaters, Inc., 106S.Ct. 925 (1988), and others, it is clear that a
permanent total prohibition against sexually oriented businesses would be
unconstitutional.
16. The City of Otsego is a predominantly agricultural/residential community
with a relatively small proportion of its area devoted to commercial and
industrial uses.
17. The City Council finds that the location of sexually oriented businesses
within the City of Otsego will have a detrimental effect on the City by
unnecessarily lowering property values within the City if said
establishments were located in inappropriate areas.
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19. The City Council finds there will be increased crime within the City from
inadequate regulations of sexually oriented businesses locating and
operating within the City.
20. The City Council finds that content -neutral time, place and manner
restrictions that regulate the zoning and licensing of sexually oriented
businesses are necessary in the City of Otsego to minimize the adverse
secondary effects which will accompany the location and operation of said
businesses within the City but that said regulations be drafted in such a
manner as to allow for reasonable opportunity to open and operate
sexually oriented businesses within the City while minimizing the
secondary adverse effects.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that content -neutral time, place and
manner restrictions that regulate the zoning and licensing of sexually oriented
businesses are necessary in the City of Otsego to minimize the adverse secondary
effects which will accompany the location and operation of said businesses within the
City but that said regulations be drafted in such a manner as to allow for reasonable
opportunity to open and operate sexually oriented businesses within the City while
minimizing the secondary adverse effects.
MOTION BY: CM Vern Heidner
SECOND BY: CM Jessica Stockamp
ALL IN FAVOR: Mayor Larry Fournier; Councilmembers : Vern Heidner,
Jessica Stockamp and Tom Darkenwald and Mark Thorsted
THOSE OPPOSED: NONE
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ADOPTED by the Otsego City Council this 25th day of June, 2007.
CITY OF OTSEGO
Fouifiāier, Mayor
ATTES
Jdy ud , Zoning Administrator/City Clerk
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