The minutes from the Northampton Planning Board’s meetings of September 28 and October 12 have recently been released. They describe the discussion over various adult-use ordinances and how planning board members voted. We provide these minutes here for your convenience. The addresses of residents on both sides of the debate have been obscured to protect […]
Month: November 2006
Gazette: “State retail group pins honor on downtown Northampton”; walk-ability praised
Today’s Gazette reports the Retailers Association of Massachusetts has recognized Northampton as having the “best downtown shopping district” in 2006: Rich Segel, who founded the Retailers Association of Massachusetts Awards of Excellence, said Northampton won the title because it is “everything a downtown should be.” Segel cited the uniqueness of the city’s stores, their longevity, […]
XBiz: “NoPornNorthampton Defeats Capital Video”
XBiz calls itself “The Industry Source” for adult business owners and webmasters. Today it reports that “An organized group that waged a local war against Capital Video from opening a large adult store in the middle of town was victorious… The decision to regulate the sale of adult content within town limits grew from a […]
Why Northampton’s New Adult-Use Ordinances Are Not Spot Zoning
Some opponents of the adult-use zoning ordinances passed by the Northampton City Council on November 2 have been arguing that they constitute illegal “spot zoning” because the ordinance was partly motivated by opposition to a specific business, namely Capital Video’s plans for a large porn shop at 135 King Street. They say that the 1,000-square-foot […]
Smith Sophian: “Definition of ‘no’ should not be debated in cases of rape”
Aileen Coe objects to the confusion of no and yes in this week’s Sophian, the Smith College student newspaper. A Maryland court recently overturned a rape conviction because the victim initially consented. Her subsequent withdrawal of consent was not considered sufficient to sustain the conviction. Coe quotes the court as saying, “It was the act […]
Corporate Self-Restraint at Leading Domain-Name Exchange
Afternic is a reseller of Internet domain names. Today they announced that they will “no longer accept domain names that promote hate, sex, obscenity or self-destructive behavior, such as substance abuse, violence and gambling.” Afternic explains: The sole rationale behind our decision is to make Afternic a more comfortable site for mainstream domain name shoppers, […]
An Open Letter to R.J. Greeley Company
NoPornNorthampton emailed the following message to Robert J. Greeley on Saturday. Having received no response, we now share it with the public. We invite those of similar opinion to contact Mr. Greeley.Dear Mr. Greeley,In August, you wrote to a Northampton resident stating that you personally would have rejected Capital Video as a tenant for 135 […]
Secondary Effects Across America: 1977-1999
[Updated: 3/4/07, 6/1/08] The official site for Nye County, Nevada contains a large trove of research on adult-use zoning and the secondary effects of adult businesses. This compilation of studies (PDF) spans a wide range of times and places in America, and we have augmented it here with links from Community Defense Counsel. Some highlights: […]
Journal of Planning Literature: Adult Bookstores Often Increase Fear of Crime, Discourage Walking
From “Is it Safe to Walk? Neighborhood Safety and Security Considerations and Their Effects on Walking”, Journal of Planning Literature, February 2006 (p. 225): The importance of walking and physical activity as determinants of good health has been well established in the medical and public health literature, but a significant number of Americans live sedentary […]
Secondary Effects: Town of Islip
Islip, NY published a detailed strategy and rationale for regulating adult businesses through zoning (PDF) in 1980. Here are some of their findings which have a bearing on Northampton’s new ordinances, especially the desire to keep downtown Northampton pedestrian-friendly: Planning relies heavily on public participation, both by federal government mandate and by professional standards. The principle […]