§ 36-3. Findings on sexually oriented businesses.

(a)

The council also finds that sexually oriented businesses have adverse secondary characteristics, particularly when they may be accessible to minors or are located near residential properties or schools, day care centers, libraries and parks, and such businesses can exert a dehumanizing influence on persons attending or using such residential properties or schools, day care centers, libraries and parks.

(b)

Sexually oriented businesses can contribute to an increase in criminal activity in the area in which such businesses are located.

(c)

Sexually oriented businesses can significantly contribute to the deterioration of residential neighborhoods and can impair the character and quality of the residential housing in the area in which such businesses are located, thereby exacerbating the shortage of affordable and habitable housing for city residents.

(d)

The concentration of sexually oriented businesses in one area can have a substantially detrimental effect on the area in which such businesses are concentrated and on the overall quality of urban life. A cycle of decay can result from the influx and concentration of sexually oriented businesses. The presence of such businesses is perceived by others as an indication that the area is deteriorating and the result can be devastating, other businesses move out of the vicinity and residents flee from the area. Declining real estate values, which can result from the concentration of such businesses, erode the city's tax base and contribute to overall urban blight.

(e)

The regulation of the location and operation of sexually oriented businesses is warranted to prevent the adverse secondary effects of such businesses on the city's crime rate, its retail trade, its property values, and, in general, the quality of the city's neighborhoods, commercial and industrial districts, and urban life.

(Code 1970; Code 1992, § 850.01)