Lindon restricts sex-oriented firms

LINDON — In a proactive move to keep the "blues" at bay, Lindon city has revised its sexually oriented business ordinance to ensure more control over where adult novelty shops and related establishments can locate.

The city's previous ordinance had included buffer zones — specific setbacks from things such as churches, schools, historic buildings and roads. The city's rapid growth in recent years had largely made the buffer zones unworkable, putting in question whether the ordinance could effectively determine where such businesses could locate.

At Tuesday's City Council meeting, the officials reviewed the ordinance and designated a specific zone for the sexually oriented businesses to prevent future arguments that the city's failure to establish workable guidelines in essence opened all zoning classifications to such businesses.

The new Lindon ordinance allows sexually oriented businesses only in its heavy industrial zone — basically the area south of 400 north, west of Geneva road, north of 200 south and east of I-15. The ordinance also requires a 600-foot setback from the exterior roads forming the boundary.

The ordinance also requires such businesses to be 1,000 feet apart, and that they must be at least 500 feet away from a church, a school or a park, as well as any business selling alcohol.

"We just want to make sure that we make good decisions, that we're not forced into something we haven't thought through," said Mayor Jeff Acerson. "I think it's just prudent for every city to do a general review of all their ordinances, make sure they are up to date."

"The whole purpose of zoning is trying to plan and do things that are proactive rather than reactive."

Lindon does not currently have any sexually oriented businesses, nor has it received any applications for such. City officials say they'd rather be safe than sorry.

Spanish Fork also recently updated its sexually oriented business ordinance to ensure that such businesses stay away from the center of town.

In September, the city council revised the city's ordinance to restrict sexually oriented businesses to industrial zones west of I-15.

"We basically want to protect our standards that we have in our community," said city attorney Junior Baker. "Even though you can't prohibit them, (they can be) limited (to) areas where they'll have the least effect."