Resolution 2768 - Laserfiche WebLink

48. That adult theaters, as defined in paragraph # 44, are inconsistent land uses in residential communities and in business districts which serve those residential communities, and they have a degrading and blighting effect on those communities and districts. 49. That an unusual amount of lewd conduct by customers occurs in and around adult bookstores and adult retail stores. and; WHEREAS, based on a public hearing and the above findings, the City Council further finds: 1. Adult use businesses generate adverse secondary effects including but not limited to an increase in crime, fostering blight in the surrounding neighborhood, damaging the viability of nearby non-adult use businesses, and creating a negative environment for young people under the age of eighteen (18) . 2. There are certain businesses which have adverse secondary effects and need to be regulated through appropriate zoning entitled "adult use business zoning". These businesses are adult bookstores, adult retail stores, live adult entertainment establishments, and adult theaters which include: adult mini theaters, adult motion picture theaters, adult outdoor theaters, and adult panoram establishments. Failure to adequately regulate these adult use businesses through zoning will result in a negative impact to the general health, welfare, and safety of the citizenry of Everett. The findings, which are set forth in this Resolution on pages 2 - 6 generally apply to all of the adult businesses listed in this paragraph. There are certain adult use businesses which have specific secondary adverse effects which are noted in the findings, on pages 2 - 7 which apply to those businesses in addition to the general findings. 3. The City must regulate through zoning of adult use businesses wherein twenty-five percent or more of the stock in trade consists of materials which are distinguished or characterized by an emphasis on matter depicting, describing or relating to "specified sexual activities" or "specified anatomical areas" . 4. The City of Everett has and is making a concentrated effort through the expenditure of moneys and conducting numerous studies to improve the quality of the City by making it a more attractive city as a working and living environment for the purpose of conducting business as well as raising a family. Exposure of certain areas of the City to the adverse secondary effects of adult use businesses would have a deleterious impact upon the City's action programs. 5. Adult use businesses are legally entitled to operate within the City of Everett as well as within any community they so desire to operate. 6. The City of Everett is unique geographically in that it is generally long and narrow. The result of this geographic characteristic is that most commercial areas are intimately linked with residentially zoned areas and lack the depth which normally provides the requisite separation (buffer) between commercial uses and residential uses. -7-