SAGINAW, Mich. – The Thomas Township Planning Commission has passed a series of amendments to its adult entertainment ordinance. Under the new regulations, adult businesses will not be required to get the board’s approval to set up shop, unless they are opening in a new building. A prospective business would need to obtain the proper license, but it would not have to go through the permit process with the planning board, as was previously mandated.
The amendment also changes the township’s definition of a sexually-oriented business; bumping up the amount of pornographic material that a business is selling from twenty percent to twenty five.
The zoning changes were drafted in response to a federal lawsuit against the township, in which a prospective adult business claimed violation of its First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.
Daniel M. Sika, the community development director, told The Saginaw News that the shop did not contact the township for a zoning variance, special-use permit or business license before it filed suit.
The current ordinance prevents adult businesses from opening within 1,000 feet of residential areas — including churches and schools — and 1,500 feet of one another.
No court date has been set in the case against the city.
"We're trying to preempt problems, and you can't predict anything," Sika said.
