Raynham, MA (population 12,000) hosts a Video X-tra Adult Superstore. The Enterprise, a regional newspaper, reports today: The business–the town’s only adult video store featuring closet-sized video “preview viewing” rooms–has become an indoor meeting spot for men seeking sex with other men, a Sunday Enterprise investigation has shown… Larry Ravech of Stoughton, one of the […]
Ordinances and Regulations
Northampton Building Inspector Complaint Form
If a business is violating the law, one recourse for citizens is to complain to Northampton’s Office of the Inspector of Buildings. Here is the complaint form: Northampton Building Inspector Complaint Form (PDF, updated on 2/27/07) Forms should be filed in paper with the Building Commissioner, 240 Main Street, Northampton, MA 01060. In the case […]
Courant: “‘Adult’ Businesses Add To Hartford’s Image Woes”
Citizens of Northampton are not the only ones concerned about how adult businesses present themselves. The 12/10/06 Hartford Courant reports: Hartford has an image issue. For those trying to sell it, the city is all about New England charm, wholesome family outings, high culture, good food and vibrant neighborhoods… But…[f]rom either direction [on I-91], big […]
Capital Video Plays Hardball, Proposes Bondage Display for Store, Attorney Disses Community Opposition Ahead of December 14 Public Hearing
A month ago, Capital Video was talking up its “excellent relationship with its host communities”. General counsel Lesley Rich suggested that their store would be “designed in a ‘mainstream’ manner… Capital intends on opening an ‘upscale’ store in Northampton, and would be very receptive to discussions with the community on the look, feel and the […]
2004: Cal/OSHA issues citations to adult film companies for failing to protect employees from health hazards
After an HIV scandal rocked the porn industry in 2004, California workplace regulators fined two adult film companies for safety violations, issuing this press release on 9/16/04: SAN FRANCISCO – Cal/OSHA, the state’s occupational safety and health program, yesterday issued its first-ever citations to employers in the adult film industry. Two employers, Evasive Angles and […]
Breaking News: Capital Video Capitulates to New Zoning, Revises Plans for 135 King Street
Capital Video general counsel Lesley Rich initially dismissed Northampton’s new adult-use zoning ordinances as “totally illegal”, but it now appears the company has decided to accept them. Wayne Feiden and Carolyn Misch from Northampton’s planning department have just received an email from Capital Video attorney Michael Pill stating that they “will comply with all legally […]
Parking May Not Be a Trivial Issue for Proposed King Street Porn Shop II
As Northampton’s Planning Board prepares for its December 14 public hearing with Capital Video (7:00pm, 212 Main Street), we’d like to revisit the issue of parking at 135 King Street, the proposed site for Capital Video’s 6,222-square-foot retail shop. We earlier raised the issue of parking in our October 29 post, which questioned whether a […]
US Supreme Court Sets Reasonable Guidelines for Adult-Use Zoning in City of Los Angeles v. Alameda Books (2002)
Some of our opponents require unreasonable degrees of proof that adult businesses cause secondary effects and aggressively question the right of cities to regulate them. Fortunately, the US Supreme Court better understands the realities of urban planning. Here we quote from the majority decision in City of Los Angeles v Alameda Books (2002). The matter […]
Law Professors Provide Comprehensive Sample Adult-Use Ordinance for City Planners
Daniel R. Mandelker is the Stamper Professor of Law at Washington University. John M. Payne is Professor of Law & Justice Hall Scholar at Rutgers University. They kindly provide to the public a Sample Ordinance on Sexually Oriented Business Regulation as a starting point for city planners. This comprehensive ordinance includes the following sections: Purpose […]
Ulysses S. Grant: Matching the Constitution to Present Realities
Some opponents of adult-use zoning claim that since porn involves speech, the Constitution written by the founders of our country requires us to avoid regulating the porn business in any way. Debates over how to interpret the Constitution have arisen before, of course, most notably at the time of the Civil War. Union general (and […]