(A) Purpose.
(1) Pursuant to the authority granted in the Borough Code to prohibit nuisances; to promote the health, welfare, cleanliness, comfort and safety of the citizens of Grove City Borough; and to regulate the time of opening and closing, and the conduct of places of public entertainment, amusement and recreation, the borough enacts this chapter to minimize and control the adverse secondary effects of sexually oriented businesses and thereby protect the health, safety and welfare of its citizens; protect the citizens from increased crime; preserve the quality of life; preserve the property values and character of surrounding neighborhoods; and deter the spread of blight.
(2) The Council has determined that licensing is a legitimate and reasonable means of accountability to insure that operators of sexually oriented businesses comply with reasonable regulations and to insure that operators do not knowingly allow their establishments to be used as places of illegal sexual activity or solicitation.
(3) The Council does not intend this chapter to suppress any speech activities protected by the First Amendment, but to enact a content neutral ordinance which addresses the secondary effects of sexually oriented businesses.
(B) Legislative findings. Based upon a public meeting conducted by the borough, the Council finds:
(1) Sexually oriented businesses have adverse secondary effects which should be regulated to protect the public health, safety and welfare. These secondary effects include, but are not limited to the spread of communicable diseases, performance of sexual acts in public places, presence of discarded sexually oriented material on public and private property, sexual harassment, obscenity, prostitution and other illegal sexual activities, crime and neighborhood deterioration.
(2) A reasonable licensing procedure is an appropriate mechanism to place the burden of that reasonable regulation on the owners and the operators of the sexually oriented businesses. Further, such a licensing procedure will place a heretofore nonexistent incentive on the operators to see that the sexually oriented business is run in a manner consistent with the health, safety and welfare of its patrons and employees, as well as the citizens of the Borough. It is appropriate to require reasonable assurances that the licensee is the actual operator of the sexually oriented business, fully in possession and control of the premises and activities occurring therein.
(3) Removal of doors of viewing booths and requiring sufficient lighting on premises with viewing booths advances a substantial governmental interest in discouraging the illegal and unsanitary sexual activity occurring in adult theaters.
(4) Requiring licensees of sexually oriented businesses to keep information regarding current employees and certain past employees will help reduce the incident of certain types of criminal behavior by facilitating the identification of potential witnesses or suspects and by preventing minors from working in such establishments.
(5) The disclosure of certain information by those persons ultimately responsible for the day-to-day operation and maintenance of the sexually oriented business will help limit and control the adverse secondary effects of such businesses.
(6) It is desirable in the prevention of the spread of communicable diseases to obtain a limited amount of information regarding certain employees who may engage in the conduct which this chapter is designed to prevent or who are likely to be witnesses to such activity.
(7) The fact that an applicant for a sexually oriented business license has been convicted of a sexually related crime leads to the rational assumption that the applicant is likely to engage in that conduct in contravention of this chapter.
(8) The barring of such individuals from the management of sexually oriented businesses for a period of years serves as a deterrent to and prevents conduct which leads to the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases.
(9) The general welfare, health and safety of the citizens of the borough will be promoted by the enactment of this chapter.
(10) Limitation of operating hours of sexually oriented businesses and closure of such businesses on Sundays and holidays reduces the adverse secondary effects of such businesses, including particularly, but not limited to late night noise levels, crime and sexually offensive materials and activities in public areas, and promotes the public health, safety and welfare.
(Ord. 1454, passed 12-17-2018, § 1)