New ordinance to address adult entertainment facilities
The Illinois Route 3 corridor is slated for commercial development this year, and city officials are continuing their efforts to redevelop the downtown area, in part with a new movie theater.
"I know there are other communities with similar ordinances (that have restrictions on location)," Mayor Ed Hagnauer said. "We don't want any kind of lawsuits associated with this type business. The proposed ordinance is a proactive approach that's in the best interest of the city."City Attorney Brian Konzen, who drew up the ordinance, said there isn't an adult store interested in locating in Granite City at this time.
The ordinance, Konzen said, is parallel to a state statute that prohibits businesses with 25 percent of adult-related inventory from locating in certain areas of a community.
The ordinance would repeal the context of a 1960s ordinance that did not allow for the sale of detective magazines, the context of a 1970s ordinance that did not allow for the showing of X-rated movies at a theater, and the context of a 1980s ordinance that banned lewd conduct in public places.
Konzen said each repeal, based on First Amendment rights, would be subject to "a different manner" of revision in the proposed ordinance.
Hagnauer called the proposed ordinance "a first draft."
The ordinance was tabled at Tuesday's City Council meeting to be referred to the police committee, chaired by Alderman Jack Jenkins.
If the ordinance were approved in its current form, it would not affect Dave's Movies & More on Nameoki Road from continuing to rent out adult videos to store members.
About five years ago, a novelty store tried to locate in Granite City, but the store was opposed by many outraged residents, the City Council and former Mayor Ron Selph, prompting the owners to look for another location outside of Granite City.
At that time, the council seemed adamant in its opposition of novelty stores because aldermen agreed that they didn't want Granite City to become a Brooklyn, Washington Park or East St. Louis.
Collinsville also rejected a novelty store about five years ago, according to Paul Mann, community development director for Collinsville.
Mann said a company had approached Collinsville city officials in 2003 about constructing a novelty store on Illinois Route 157 in close proximity to what is now the newly completed commercial development.
After Collinsville rejected the store, the owners challenged the city's action in a lawsuit in federal court in East St. Louis.
The court ruled in favor of Collinsville, ridding the city of an eyesore, Mann said.
"Granite City is wise to take a proactive stance to curtail any use that would create negative secondary effects associated with an adult store," Mann said. "Studies indicate that novelty stores are proven to create negative secondary effects like prostitution, illegal drug use and lower property values."
Granite City, like Collinsville, has several ordinances that addresses adult materials and illicit sexual conduct.
About five years ago, the Granite City Council amended an ordinance pertaining to lewd entertainment because an establishment on the outskirts of town allowed for at least one bikini contest in which council members were told that female body parts were exposed.
