OCEAN CITY, MD — The first-ever sexually oriented business ordinances to be considered in this beachside resort on the Atlantic coast will restrict adult-entertainment venues to a two-acre parcel of land “in front of the Food Lion Shopping Center between 118th and 119th Streets.”A city council work session last week capped a year-long review of community needs and other considerations surrounding adult entertainment in the city, according to The Dispatch, a local newspaper. Two ordinances presented during the work session were expected to be approved during Monday’s open meeting of the council.
The first ordinance outlines where SOBs may be located and their hours of operation. Adult-entertainment venues must be at least 300 feet from residences and at least 600 feet from schools, churches, recreational parks, the beach, the boardwalk, and family — or children — oriented environments. They may be open only between the hours of 10:00am and midnight, and all patrons must be at least 18 years of age.
The ordinance restricts new adult businesses to a two-acre parcel of land that contains only .09 percent of the developable territory in the city. Ocean City’s only extant adult business is located outside that zone, but it will be allowed to remain where it is as long as its ownership doesn’t change and it maintains its license in good standing.
The second ordinance, which is “lengthy and extensive” according to The Dispatch, defines SOBs as “adult arcade[s], adult bookstore[s], adult novelty store[s], adult video store[s], adult cabaret[s], adult motel[s], adult motion picture theater[s], adult theater[s], escort agenc[ies], semi-nude model studio[s], or sexual encounter center[s].” In requires SOBs and their employees to be licensed, and it defines prohibited activities.
“There shall be no outside hawking, soliciting of customers, electronic displays, or dissemination of promotional materials,” the ordinance reads. “Window displays visible from the outside shall not include sexually explicit materials, products, displays or messages.”
