CITY COUNCIL District zoned for porn

Penn State got permission for major changes to a campus street crossing.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
SHARON, Pa. -- No one showed up to oppose a city zoning amendment that would restrict adult entertainment businesses to a remote industrial section of town.
City council held the hearing Thursday just before giving the amendment a final approval.
The only person to speak during the hearing was Paul Chadderton of Chadderton Trucking on Stewart Avenue adjacent to the designated "special district" for adult entertainment.
Chadderton only had a couple of minor questions about the location and said he wasn't objecting to the city's plan to limit where such businesses can be located.
Council introduced the special district amendment in February after rumors that someone was making inquiries about opening a strip club on State Street in the main downtown business district.
What's in law
Sharon had no zoning regulations dealing with that type of business and that meant a strip club could open in any area of the city zoned for commercial or industrial use.
By law, the city can't ban adult entertainment facilities, but it can regulate where they can operate.
The amendment spells out that such businesses can't be closer than 1,000 feet to any homes, schools or places where minors might congregate, nor can they open within 1,000 feet of one another.
The special district is on the city's south side bounded by Stewart Avenue on the east, Phillips Street on the north, the Shenango River on the west and the city of Farrell line on the south.
Both the city and Mercer County Regional planning commissions recommended approval of the zoning amendment.
Another matter
In other business, council passed a resolution giving the Penn State Shenango campus permission to alter the Shenango Avenue crosswalk that divides its facilities.
Dr. Thomas Rookey, campus executive officer, told council that the campus is just launching a $7 million improvement program that will include at least one new building, the remodeling of two structures and a variety of other, smaller projects.
Changing the Shenango Avenue crosswalk on campus is one of them, he said.
The plan is to replace the painted pavement with a block paver crossing which would connect the two sides of the campus, Rookey said.
The two stop signs marking the crosswalk would remain, but the crossing would be raised to curb height. The curb would be narrowed from 30 to 22 feet, Rookey said, noting that Penn State is picking up the entire cost.
Council gave immediate approval to the plan.
gwin@vindy.com