YAKIMA, WA — In addition to flip-flopping on a downtown parking changes and making it possible for residents to pay their utilities via U.S. Bank, the Yakima City Council decided on Tuesday to make opening an adult business about 1,000 feet more difficult to open in the area.Although the new zoning restrictions do not apply to existing businesses, new shops hoping to sell erotic videos, literature, toys or other sexy novelties must stay at least 500 feet from the usual suspects: churches, schools, public parks and residential areas.
Making location an even greater challenge is the fact that new businesses must be a minimum of 1,500 away from similar businesses, although probably not in order to avoid too much competition for customers.
Yakima County is considering a similar move, which includes additional restrictions concerning signs and hours of operation.
According to the Yakima-Herald, the excuse for tightening the available retail locations to avoid a so-called “red-light” district in the area.
Currently four affected businesses exist in the city, although they are exempt from compliance unless they decide to relocate. Grapevine and Eve’s Garden are in direct violation of the new 1,500 foot law, but have been grandfathered in.
