Rule pushes tattoo studios away from homes

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Rule pushes tattoo studios away from homes
June 13, 2010
By BOB OKON
The Herald-News

JOLIET -- New zoning rules for future tattoo studios go to the Joliet City Council for approval this week.

The rules have been in the works since a controversial attempt late last summer to move a tattoo studio onto Jefferson Street on the edge of the Cathedral Area neighborhood.

Residents objected and the move was blocked.

Now the council will vote on new rules that prevent tattoo studios from locating within 500 feet of homes.

The big difference between the proposed rules and current zoning is distance, said Jim Torri in the planning department.

Tattoo studios will be allowed in areas zoned for general business and light industrial use as before. They still will need special use permits. Now, however, there are distance requirements between tattoo studios and other uses.

The city council, Torri said, "didn't want to create a situation where tattoo studios couldn't exist in the city at all. They just wanted to create proper buffering and spacing."

The council and city plan commission even doubled the distance from an original proposal that would have only set tattoo studios 250 feet away from the nearest home.

The new zoning rules also require that tattoo studios be at 1,000 feet from any school, church, day care, park, playground, library or other tattoo business.

The council meets Monday and Tuesday in city hall.