Town Supervisor Richard Gardiner told the Steuben Courier that a zoning law is currently being drafted and he expects to propose the legislation to the town board in January.
Due to Urbana’s location on State Route 54, a well-traveled stretch of road in New York’s Finger Lakes region, town officials want adult zoning restrictions in place in the event an adult store wants to set up shop.
Gardiner’s proposal comes two years after the opening of an adult store in the neighboring town of Bath, which previously had no zoning restrictions in place. Since the store opened, Bath passed zoning restrictions that pushed adult businesses to a small section on the outskirts of town.
The proposed Urbana law will be based on Bath’s zoning restrictions, according to town board member Connie Cook who cited the secondary effects argument that adult businesses lead to declining property values, attract nefarious people and cause an increase in violent and sexual crimes.
According to the Steuben Courier, Urbana held a poorly attended town meeting last week in order to seek comment from residents. Cook said she will start a petition for zoning restrictions and expects 200 signatures. Additionally, Cook said she expects any adult stores to be far removed from residential neighborhoods and would have to be set up in an industrial area, away from schools, churches and early-childhood programs.