Palm Springs Council considers but tables update to an ordinance which would expand locations for adult businesses in the city

Update 11/28/22 - 8:42 p.m.

The city council did not vote on the ordinance Monday night. After an over 90-minute discussion and debate on the potential change, the council directed staff to continue working on the ordinance for further discussion. Mayor Lisa Middleton indicated she would be very unlikely to vote for any changes if the measure is brought up again.

Original Report 11/28/22

The City of Palm Springs will consider potential changes to an existing ordinance today that could allow adult businesses to be located in more sites in the city. 

The existing law was established in 1995, and only allows businesses of this kind in areas zoned for industrial and manufacturing use, including along North Indian Canyon Drive, between Sunrise Parkway and San Rafael Drive in northwestern Palm Springs.

However, if the proposed changes are adopted by the City Council, adult businesses could be allowed to legally operate along a stretch of Palm Canyon Drive, both north and south of downtown Palm Springs. 

Deputy City Manager, Flinn Fagg, sent the following statement to News Channel 3 regarding the issue:

The City does not currently have any businesses that have an active adult business permit; up until several years ago, there had been an adult cabaret (strip club) in the Sunny Dunes area, but the business closed and was not reestablished.  My assessment for the reason that we don’t have any adult businesses currently is due to two factors:

The industry has changed significantly over the last 25 years, reducing the need for brick-and-mortar storefronts.  The City’s ordinance, last updated in 1995, has not addressed these industry changes.

The City’s locational requirements (separation from residential areas, zone districts where permitted) for adult businesses make it difficult for new businesses to find locations within the City of Palm Springs.  Planning staff has met with a number of interested applicants over the last several years, but locational restrictions have prevented most from attempting to establish a business in the city.

There are also other changes proposed in the staff report.