HomeMy WebLinkAboutNS-2367 - Prohibiting the Establishment of any New, or Expansion of Any Existing, Adult Entertainment Business, and Providing an Exception Process for Certain Businesses342.
ORDINANCE NO. NS-2367
AN EMERGENCY ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF
SANTA ANA PROHIBITING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF
ANY NEW, OR EXPANSION OF ANY EXISTING,
ADULT ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS, AND
PROVIDING AN EXCEPTION PROCESS FOR CERTAIN
BUSINESSES
The City Council of the City of Santa Ana finds, determines and declares as
follows:
1. Numerous provisions of the Santa Ana Municipal Code ("Code") that regulate
adult uses including, but not limited to, portions of Chapter 41 of the Code need review,
study and possible revision in order to respond to recent developments within the '
regulation of adult uses and case law interpretation. Because of their age, such provisions
fail to fully take into account the secondary effects that are associated with adult
entertainment businesses and fail to address the needs of the City and its residems today
and in the future.
2. The City Council has considered all of the written and oral testimony offered
concerning whether to adopt this ordinance, including the two volumes containing studies
undertaken by other public entities and published court opinions.
3. Without adoption of this ordinance, properties in the City could quickly
receive entitlements to establish adult entertainment businesses, despite the fact that the
City Council has determined that the Code is in need of updating and has directed that a
study be done to recommend new standards and revised Code sections to address adult
entertainment businesses
4. The City Council has directed that all studies be pursued as expeditiously as is
practicable, has held a study session on adult uses and has directed staff to expeditiously
pursue appropriate revisions to the Code.
5. In order to prevent the frustration of said studies and the implementation
thereof, the public interest, health, safety and welfare require the immediate enactment of
this ordinance. The absence of this ordinance would create a serious threat to the orderly
and effective implementation of any Code amendments, general plan amendments or
specific plan amendments which may be adopted by the City as a result of the studies, in
that further development of adult uses within the City may be in conflict with or frustrate
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the contemplated updates and revisions to the Code, general plan or specific plans and
may result in the secondary effects from adult uses in conflict with the contemplated
updates and revisions to the Code, general plan an'd/or specific plans.
6. Experience in this City, as well as in other portions of southem California
including the County of Los Angeles, the City of Garden Grove and other cities in other
states including the cities of Renton, Washington; Seattle, Washington; Detroit, Michigan;
Austin, Texas; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Phoenix, Arizona have demonstrated that such
uses have objectionable secondary effects upon immediately adjacent residential and com-
mercial areas. The City recognizes and relies upon the experience of these other cities and
counties in adopting adult business regulations including the County of Los Angeles; City
of Renton, Washington (as discussed in City ofRenton v. Playtime Theatres, Inc. (1976)
475 U.S. 41); the City of Seattle, Washington (as discussed in Northend Cinema v. City of
Seattle (1978) 90 Wash.2d 709, 585 P.2d 1153); and the County of Palm Beach, Florida (as
discussed in Movie & Video Worm v. Board of County Commissioners (S.D. Fla. 1989)
723 F.Supp. 695) in support of this Ordinance. The City also recognizes and relies upon the
studies done by: (1) the City of Los Angeles in 1977; (2) the 1991 report to the City of
Garden Grove by Drs. McCleary and Meeker on the relationship between crime and adult
business operations; (3) the 1979 Adult Use Study by the Phoenix Planning Department; (4)
the 1984 "Analysis of Adult Entertainment Businesses in Indianapolis"by the Department
of MetropolitanDevelopment; (5) Austin, Texas' 1986 study on effects of adult businesses;
(6) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (1986); (7) Houston, Texas (1983); (8) Beaumont, Texas
(1982); (9) Minneapolis, Minnesota (1980); (10) Amarillo, Texas (1977); and (11 )
Cleveland, Ohio (1977).
7. The City Council finds that this ordinance is immediately required to preserve
the City, including the City's commercial and residential areas from the possible
secondary effects of adult uses during such period of time to complete the studies and
proposed revised Code in order to protect the City and its residents from the above-
recognized potential secondary effects.
8. The City Council finds, determines and declares that the current and immediate
threat to the public health, safety and welfare of the City and its citizens necessitates the
immediate enactment of the ordinance. The facts constituting such an urgency are set
forth in paragraphs 1-7, inclusive of this ordinance.
9. The City Council further finds that this is a matter of City-wide importance and
is not directed towards nor targeted at any particular parcel of property or proposed use.
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NOW THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA
DOES HEREBY ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1: Prohibition.
No new adult entertainment use may be established within the City, nor may any
existing adult entertainment use within the City be expanded, so long as this ordinance is
in effect. In addition, no new massage establishment or figure modeling studio may be
established within the City, nor many existing such use be expanded, so long as this
ordinance is in effect.
Section 2: Exception Process.
The City Council finds that certain adult entertainment businesses may be
established pursuant to locafional and permitting standards and not be in conflict with
contemplated zoning proposals which are currently under study.
A. Request for Exception.
Any person who desires to establish within the City an adult entertainment business
exception uses or expand an existing adult entertainment business may request an
exception from the City. Any use which is granted an exception may be established in
the City irrespective of the provisions referenced in Section 1, above, of this ordinance.
The grant of a request for exception by the City shall not release the applicant from
complying with any applicable federal, state or local law or regulation.
B. Application for Request for Exception.
The Planning & Building Agency shall prepare necessary forms for person(s) who
wish to request an exception to the provisions of this ordinance. The fee for such
application shall be the same fee as for a minor exception, which the Council finds does
not exceed the reasonable estimated processing costs of the City.
C. Grant or Denial of Exception.
The Planning Manager or designee ("Manager") shall grant, conditionally grant or
deny a request for exception to the provisions of this ordinance. Any conditions imposed
upon the exception application shall be in keeping with the objective development
standards of the underlying zone in which the property is located and the City's parking
standards. The Manager shall approve an application for exception where the
information submitted by the applicant substantiates all of the following findings:
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1. The adult entertainment business is located in one of the following zoning
districts: C2, C3, C4, M1 or M2.
The adult entertainment business meets the following distance criteria,
which shall be measured as of the date of the completed application.
a. If a new business, that the proposed adult entertainmentbusiness is
more than 1,000 feet fi.om any other existing adult entertainment business.
The proposed adult entertainment business is more than 1,000 feet
from any existing public premises as defined in the California
Business and Professions Code selling liquor or beer for consumption
on the premises as its primary business.
c. The proposed adult entertainment business is more than 1,000 feet
from any existing public dance halls as defined in section 11-1 of the Code.
d. The proposed adult entertainment business is more than 1,000 feet
from any existing massage establishment as defined in section 22-1 of the Code.
e. The proposed adult entertainment business is more than 1,000 feet
from any existing peep show establishment as defined in section 12-22 of the
Code.
f. The proposed adult entertainment business is more than 1,000 feet
from any existing figure model studios as defined in section 12-120 of the Code.
g. The proposed adult entertainment business is more than 1,000 feet
from any existing residential zone, park, religious institution or school.
h. The proposed adult entertainment business is more than 1 O0 feet
from the right-of-way line of any freeway or street designed as a major arterial in
the current circulation element of the general plan.
i. The distances set forth above shall be measured as a radius from the
property line of the parcel on which the proposed adult entertainment business
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would be located to the property lines of the property so zoned or used without
regard to intervening structures.
j. Any waiver of the provisions of this subsection shall be pursuant to
the provisions of Division 1, Article V of the Code.
3. The proposed use does not involve an applicant, if an individual, or any of
the officers or general partners of an applicant, if a corporation or partnership, that
have been found guilty or pleaded nolo contendere within the past four (4) years to a
misdemeanor or a felony classified by the State as a sex or sex-related offense.
4. The applicant has submitted false or misleading information on the
application.
5. The applicant has had an application for an adult entertainment business
permit denied or revoked in the twelve (12) months preceding the date of the current
application.
6. The Manager shall deny the request for exception where the information
submitted by the applicant fails to substantiate the above-described findings. The
Manager shall render a written decision on the request for exception within thirty
(30) calendar days of receiving a completed exception application. The Manager
shall determine whether an application is complete within fifteen (15) calendar days
of its submittal to the Planning & Building Agency.
D. Appeal of Planning Manager.
Any interested person may appeal the decision of the Manager to the City Council
in writing within twenty (20) calendar days after the written decision of the Manager.
Notice of the Manager's decision shall be mailed to all property owners within three
hundred (300) feet of the proposed use. Consideration of an appeal of the Manager's
decision shall be at a public hearing which shall be advertised as provided in Section
41-636 of the Code and shall occur within thirty (30) days of the filing or initiation of the
appeal. The City Council shall render a decision on the appeal within thirty (30) days of
the hearing.
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E. Definitions.
In addition to the definitions contained in the Code, the following words and
phrases shall, for the purposes of this ordinance, be defined as follows, unless it is clearly
apparent from the context that another meaning is intended. Should any of the
definitions be in conflict with the current provisions of the Code, these definitions shall
prevail:
1. "Adult entertainment business" shall mean any one of the following:
a. Adult arcade. The term "adult arcade" as used in this ordinance is
an establishment where, for any form of consideration, one or more still or
motion picture projectors, or similar machines, for viewing by five (5) or fewer
persons each, are used to show films, computer generated images, motion
pictures, video cassettes, slides or other photographic reproductions thirty (30)
percent or more of the number of which are distinguished or characterized by an
emphasis upon the depiction or description of specified sexual activities or
specified anatomical areas.
b. Adult bookstore. The term "adult bookstore" as used in this
ordinance is an establishment that has thirty (30) percent or more of its stock in
books, magazines, periodicals or other printed matter, or of photographs, films,
motion pictures, video cassettes, slides, tapes, records or other form of visual or
audio representations which are distinguished or characterized by an emphasis
upon the depiction or description of specified sexual activities and or specified
anatomical areas.
c. Adult cabaret. The term "adult cabaret" as used in this ordinance
means a nightclub, restaurant, or similar business establishment which: (1)
regularly features live performances which are distinguished or characterizedby
an emphasis upon the display of specified anatomical areas or specified sexual
activities; and/or (2) which regularly features persons who appear semi-nude;
and/or (3) shows films, computer generated images, motion pictures, video
cassettes, slides, or other photographic reproductions thirty (30) percent or more
of the number of which are distinguished or characterizedby an emphasis upon
the depiction or description of specified sexual activities or specified anatomical
areas.
d. Adult hotel/motel. The term "adult hotel/motel" as used in this
ordinance means a hotel or motel or similar business establishment offering
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public accommodations for any form ofconsiderationwhich, (1) provides
patrons with closed-circuit television transmissions, films, computer generated
images, motion pictures, video cassettes, slides, or other photographic
reproductions thirty (30) percent or more of the number of which are
distinguished or characterized by an emphasis upon the depiction or description
of specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas; and (2) rents, leases,
or lets any room for less than a six (6) hour period, or rents, leases, or lets any
single room more than twice in a 24-hour period.
Adult motion picture theater. The term "adult motion picture
theater" as used in this ordinance is a business establishment where, for any form
of consideration, films, computer generated images, motion pictures, video
cassettes, slides or similar photographic reproductions are shown, and thirty (30)
percent or more of the number of which are distinguished or characterized by an
emphasis upon the depiction or description of specified sexual activities or
specified anatomical areas.
Adult theater. The term "adult theater" as used in this ordinance
means a legitimate theater, concert hall, auditorium, or similar establishment
which, for any form ofconsiderationregularly features live performances which
are distinguished or characterized by an emphasis on the display of specified
anatomical areas or specified sexual activities.
g. Peep Show Establishment. The term "peep show establishment" as
used in this ordinance has the same meaning as in section 12-22 of the Code.
2. "Religious Institution" shall mean a facility used primarily for religious
assembly or worship and related religious activities.
3. "Park" shall mean any property within the City which is designated
"Park" on the General Plan Land Use Map.
4. "Residential Zone" shall mean any property within the City designated
to be within the RE, R1, R2, R3, R4 or CR zoning districts, or properties within any
neighboring jurisdiction which are designated by that jurisdiction's zoning code as
being residential.
5. "School" shall mean any child or day care facility, or an institution of
learning for minors, whether public or private, offering instruction in those courses of
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study required by the California Education Code and maintained pursuant to standards
set by the State Board of Education. This definition includes a nursery school,
kindergarten, elementary school, middle or junior high school, senior high school, or
any special institution of education, but it does not include a vocational or professional
institution of higher education, including a community or junior college, college, or
university.
6. "Specified anatomical areas" shall mean and include any of the following:
a. Less than completely and opaquely covered human (i) genitals or
pubic region; (ii) buttocks; and (iii) female breast below a point immediately
above the top of the areola;
b. Human male genitals in a discernibly turgid state, even if completely
and opaquely covered;
c. Any device, costume or covering that simulates any of the body
parts included in subdivisions (a) or (b) above.
7. "Specified sexual activities" shall mean and include any of the following,
whether performed directly or indirectly through clothing or other covering:
a. The fondling or other erotic touching of human genitals, pubic
region, buttocks, anus, or female breast;
b. Sex acts, actual or simulated, including intercourse, oral copulation,
or sodomy;
c. Masturbation, actual or simulated;
c. Excretory functions as part of or in connection with any of the other
activities described in subdivision (a) through (c) of this subsection..
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Section 3: Severability.
If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or word of this ordinance is for
any reason held to be invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not
affect the validity of the remaining portions of this ordinance. The City Council hereby
declares that it would have passed and adopted this ordinance, and each and all
provisions hereof, irrespective of the fact that one or more provisions may be declared
invalid.
Section 4: Expiration.
This ordinance shall be of no further force and effect 45 days from the date of its
adoption, unless extended by further action of the City Council.
Section 5: Publication.
The City Clerk shall certify to the extension of this ordinance and cause the same to
be published in the manner prescribed by law.
Section 6: Emergency Measure.
This ordinance is introduced, passed and adopted at one and the same meeting and
was thereafter immediately effective. The City Council finds that this ordinance is
necessary to protect the public safety, health and welfare. The reasons for the emergency
are set forth at paragraphs 1 through 9, inclusive of this ordinance.
ADOPTED this 21 s t day of September, 1998.
ATI'EST:
~ff~./~//t~,'ceC Guy. / (~/'
Clerk of the Council
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COUNCILMEMBERS:
Pulido
Richardson Aye
Espinoza Abstain
Lutz Aye
McGuigan ~y~
Franklin Aye
Moreno Abstain
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Chief Assistant City Attomey
CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY & PUBLICATION
State of California
County of Orange
I, JANICE C. GUY, Clerk of the Council, do hereby certify the attached Ordinance No.
/V ff - .7 R 6. ,-7 to be the original ordinance adopted by the City Council of the City of Santa
Ana on ~/~_t /q ~ ; and that said ordinance was published in accordance with the
Charter of tl~e City 6f Santa Ana.
Date:
Clerk-of the Council
City of Santa Ana
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