04-03-1996 - Laserfiche WebLink

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.1 1 14. Communities should adopt regulations which reduce exposure of the community and minors to the blighting appearance of sexually 41111 oriented businesses, including but not limited to regulations of signage and exterior design of such businesses, and should enforce state law requiring sealed wrappers and opaque covers on sexually oriented material. •f ' IMPACTS OF SEXUALLY ORIENTED BUSINESSES The Working Group reviewed evidence from studies conducted in Minneapolis and • St. Paul and in other cities throughout the country. These studies, taken together, provide compelling evidence that sexually oriented businesses are associated with high crime rates and depression of property values. In addition, the Working Group heard testimony that the character of a neighborhood can dramatically change when there is a concentration of sexually oriented businesses adjacent to residential property. Minneapolis Study • • In 1980, on direction from the Minneapolis City Council, the Minneapolis Crime Prevention Center examined the effects of sex-oriented and alcohol-oriented adult entertainment upon property values and crime rates. This study used both simple regression and multiple regression statistical analysis to evaluate whether there was a causal relationship between these businesses and neighborhood blight. The study concluded that there was a close association between sexually oriented businesses, high crime rates and low housing values in a neighborhood. When the data was reexamined using control variables such as the mean income in the neighborhood to determine whether the association proved causation, it was unclear whether sexually oriented businesses caused a decline in property values. The 1 Minneapolis.study concluded that sexually oriented businesses concentrate in areas which are relatively deteriorated and, at most, they may weakly contribute to the continued depression of property values. • -6- 1