LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Adding to the seemingly endless number of novelty and smoke shops targeted by zoning regulations, the planning commission in this town about 30 miles outside Atlanta has turned its attention to a local strip mall.
When a tattoo parlor submitted a request to open in a vacant spot previously occupied by another tattoo artist, the commission debated not only the parlor proposal but the legality of another establishment in the shopping center, questioning whether The Oz Smoke Shop violated local ordinances by expanding its purview beyond smoking paraphernalia.
District 4 Planning Commissioner Paula Hastings asked the city's planning and development director, Glenn Stephens, if Oz breaks zoning rules by stocking novelty items and adult films.
"The smoke shop I'm sure is permitted as a smoke shop via use by right," Stephens said at the meeting. "But if they are doing additional things on the premises, it might be in violation of a zoning ordinance that would require something for our Quality of Life Unit to take a look at."
Resident Joseph Counter appeared at the hearing to oppose both the proposed tattoo parlor and the smoke shop's expanded array of merchandise. "I don't have a problem with those kinds of things being sold. There is a place for it," Counter said, referring to the smoke shop's stock of adults-only merchandise. "The place doesn't belong sandwiched between this location."
Source: The Gwinnett Daily Post
