Pismo continues ban on new tattoo parlors, other businesses 

Residents looking for a new place to get some ink will have to wait a little longer after the Pismo Beach City Council voted to continue its moratorium on new tattoo parlors, smoke shops, and other selected businesses.

The council voted 4-0 on Nov. 6, with member Erik Howell absent, to add another year to a moratorium on tattoo parlors and other personal service businesses deemed inconsistent with the city's plans for future commercial development. The council passed the initial ban as an urgency ordinance in December 2017, then extended it for an additional 10 months and 15 days in January 2018.

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• File Photo By Dylan Honea-baumann
• BAN REMAINS The city of Pismo Beach will continue to ban new tattoo parlors, massage parlors, and other businesses.

The ordinance bans the approval, expansion, or relocation of tattoo parlors, massage parlors, plasma donation centers, check cashing and payday loan businesses, gold and silver exchanges, bail bond businesses, resale shops, pawn shops, and tire sales and repair businesses. It does not impact those businesses currently operating in the city.

The council passed the ban to give the city time to study the impact of such businesses and revamp and update its zoning codes for such businesses, some of which have not been updated since the mid-1990s. However, City Attorney Dave Fleishman said the city's Planning Commission needed more time to address the issue.

"Because of the press of business to date, the Planning Commission has not had an opportunity to dive in and determine the appropriate zoning numbers, ratios, locations ... for those types of businesses," Fleishman said.

The council took a vote on the extension on the same day mayors and councilmembers in other cities were eagerly awaiting the results of the local elections. Pismo's council members, however, had nothing to worry about. Pismo Beach canceled its elections for City Council and mayor after no other candidates filed to run against the sitting incumbents. Pismo voters still got to vote on statewide candidates as well as local and state ballot measures.