Zoning Ordinance Proposed for Kentucky Adult Shops

BURLINGTON, Ky. – Local officials have proposed an amendment which would allow sexually-oriented businesses in six commercial and industrial zones within Boone County. According to a recent report, the Boone County Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing about the zoning amendments for Oct. 24 to decide the proposed ordinance’s fate.

“If they can't go in the place where they want to go but you say, ‘you can go to the industrial one zone,’ you have to make sure that the industrial one zone provides a reasonable number of sites,” said Scott Bergthold, a Chattanooga, Tenn.-based attorney working for the county on the issue. “What is that number? There is no magic number. There's no specific formula that the courts have adopted.”

If the provision passes, the sexually-oriented business — which include everything from adult video and bookstores to novelty shops — would have to follow a number of other rules, including not being able to locate within 1,000 feet of one another or within 1,000 feet community area such as churches, schools or daycare centers.

The council in nearby Florence County passed a similar adult ordinance in February.