2005/06/15 Council Agenda Packet

a substantially higher incidence of criminal activity in the Times Square area where adult uses are most concentrated. In addition, the study found that the rate of increase in assessed property values for study blocks with adult uses grew at a slower rate than control blocks without adult uses. • DCP's survey of areas with less dense concentrations of adult uses found fewer impacts than the study of the Times Square area. However, community leaders expressed concerns that adult uses impact negatively on the community and they strongly fear the potential results of proliferation. • The strongest negative reactions to adult entertainment uses come from residents living near them. • Where respondents indicated that their businesses or neighborhoods had not yet been adversely affected by adult uses, this typically occurred in study areas with isolated adult uses. Moreover, these same respondents typically stated that an increase in such uses would negatively impact them. Community residents fear the consequences of potential proliferation and concentration of adult uses in trad.Wonally neighborhood-orie,, zd shopping areas and view the appearance of one or more of these uses as a deteriora- tion in the quality of urban life. • Most real estate brokers report that adult entertainment establishments are perceived to negatively affect nearby property values and decrease market values. Eighty percent of the brokers responding to the DCP survey indicated that an adult use would have a negative impact on nearby property values. This is consistent with the responses from a similar national survey of real estate appraisers. • Adult use accessory business signs are generally larger, more often illuminated, and graphic (sexually -oriented) compared with the signs of other nearby commercial uses. Community residents view this signage as out of keeping with neighborhood character and are concerned about the exposure of minors to sexual images. Based on these findings, DCP believes it is appropriate to regulate adult entertainment estab- lishments differently from other commercial establishments. The experience of other jurisdictions, the city's historic experience in Times Square, studies performed by the TSBID and the Chelsea Business Survey, and DCP's own survey, establish the negative effects of adult entertainment uses. Consideration of the specific nature and extent of regulations that would be appropriate for adult entertainment establishments in New York City was not within the scope of this Study. However, in light of the negative impacts of adult uses in concentration, the following regulatory techniques, which have been used in other jurisdictions, merit consideration in developing adult use regulations: restrictions on the location of adult uses in proximity to residential areas, to houses of worship, to schools and to each other. EVER00099