In today’s Gazette (“What may follow new ordinances”), Capital Video general counsel Lesley Rich claims the company enjoys “an excellent relationship with its host communities”.If that’s the case, I wonder why Springfield residents and officials pushed back against the expansion of the Capital Video store at 486 Bridge Street. The store was established in 1990. Capital […]
Continue reading Capital Video Disregards Community Concerns
Today’s Gazette reports on the City Council’s approval of adult-use zoning on November 2. The Republican also covers the story in “Council limits adult businesses”. Among other things, the new ordinances (see details) require that businesses with more than 1,000 square feet of adult material on display must locate in Northampton’s Highway Business District and be […]
Continue reading Gazette: “Zoning laws set; But porn store’s plans unchanged”
We are pleased to report that Northampton’s City Council has just approved all three adult-use zoning ordinances under consideration. Each ordinance secured the required two-thirds majority of the council members. In brief, the ordinances regulate signage with adult content, require a 500-foot buffer zone between establishments with porn viewing booths and homes, and a 500-foot […]
Continue reading Breaking News: City Council Gives Final Approval to Adult-Use Zoning Ordinances
Some of our opponents have argued that significant censorship is likely to follow if adult-use zoning regulations are passed in Northampton. Librarians in Western Massachusetts say this has not been their experience.NPN’s Jendi Reiter spoke today with librarians in several Massachusetts towns that passed adult-use zoning in the mid-1990s or earlier. We asked whether such measures […]
Continue reading WMass Librarians: No Sign of Censorship Following Adult-Use Zoning
Some people question the reality of secondary effects of adult businesses. NoPornNorthampton would like to present a summary of some of our research into this issue. Secondary effects have been seen in towns as large as New York City and as small as Kittery, Maine. These effects have been seen in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, […]
Wayne Feiden, Northampton’s Director of Planning and Development, has released final versions of several adult-use zoning ordinances for our city councilors to vote on tomorrow. We invite you to download the file and look it over:Adult-Use Zoning Ordinances – Final Draft of 10/31/06 (PDF)Some highlights: Establishments with porn viewing booths (private or semi-private) must be located in […]
Today’s Gazette notes that the Northampton City Council will take a second and final vote on several adult-use zoning changes at its meeting on Thursday, November 2. These ordinances will affect signage, the location of stores with porn viewing booths, and the location of all large adult businesses. All the ordinances were approved by a […]
Continue reading Gazette: “Council to take 2nd vote on porn store regulations”
The struggle over adult-use zoning in Northampton shouldn’t be seen as just an effort to keep one porn shop from 135 King Street. When one adult entertainment business establishes itself in an area, it makes it easy for others to follow. The Boston Globe reports from Salisbury, MA: With two adult clubs already established and a third […]
As we noted in an earlier post, Hollywood moved to beef up its adult-use zoning in 1990 to respond to crime and economic blight. This Wall Street Journal article from 1997 underscores how hard it can be for neighborhoods to recover when adult businesses have concentrated there. Sex shops weren’t the only factor in Hollywood’s […]
Continue reading Why Hollywood Reached for Zoning: Crime, Business Failure, Tourists Fleeing
The Union-News takes a broad look at adult-use zoning in “Zone laws can restrict sex shops”, 12/1/95: X-rated entertainment may be protected by the First Amendment, but communities are finding other legal ways to restrict its growth. Chagrined Hadley officials awoke in October to find an X-rated book and video store at the town’s busiest […]