For parents who send their small children to the Starbright Early Learning Center in south Everett, giving directions to the facility should be easy from now on.
Just look for the big Taboo Video sign.
Everett Mall Way is hardly a quaint shopping district. What used to be a hilly two-lane road with more than its fair share of potholes is now a smoothly paved multi-lane stretch lined with strip malls and traffic. That’s growth for you. Still, one would hope that a business catering to people’s sexual fantasies would steer clear of setting up shop next to a preschool, even if doing so is perfectly legal.
That didn’t happen in this instance, and now Starbright owner Kim Borgatt is asking the city to reconsider its zoning ordinances regarding such businesses. A six-month moratorium on new adult retail stores proposed by the City Council would give the various stakeholders time to discuss the issue and the city time to explore its legal options in future situations.
Everett used to have an ordinance that kept adult-oriented businesses from locating with 1,000 feet of schools, churches, parks and homes, but the state Supreme Court said cities can only have such rules if the presence of such businesses leads to crime. So, the city remove adult retail businesses from the ordinance in the mid-1990s. Spokane later adopted a similar ordinance, however, and has successfully defended it U.S. District Court. That case currently is on appeal to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
This is not about burdensome regulations that might drive away small businesses. This is about common sense and quality of life. The absence of crime near adult entertainment outlets doesn’t make them appropriate neighbors for preschools.
With all the evidence pointing to the benefits of early education, Starbright parents can’t be blamed for being upset. No one wants their small child getting that kind of an education. "Go ahead, play in the sand box, sweetie. Just don’t look over your shoulder."
The city’s hands may be tied in this particular situation. But it should proceed to seek ways to keep a reasonable distance between preschools and adult in the future.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
