An adult zoning amendment that would have opened a one-mile zone to adult businesses was shot down at a town meeting last week. According to SouthCoastToday.com, Town Counsel David Jenkins told voters that the courts have decided that adult entertainment businesses can not be banned from a community, but that they can be restricted in their location.
No one spoke in favor of the amendment, which was decided by a hand vote, but four residents spoke against it.
The meeting follows an ongoing civil suit by Deutch Donn Corp. who has proposed building a strip club in the area. The Zoning Board turned down the company's application for a special permit based on the town's current ordinance, which was enacted in 1998 and amended by a 2006 town meeting.
Deutch Donn Corp. filed suit seeking a judgment to overturn the 1998 and 2006 ordinance. "The courts have determined that adult businesses retain a First Amendment right to locate and operate in a town," Jenkins told voters.
Attorney Brian Corey Jr., who represents Deutch Donn, told SouthCoastToday.com that he expected the amendment to lose at the town meeting, and that he will press the suit now in court.
