M ay 2 6 , 2 0 2 2 | A p p e n M e d i a . c o m | A n A p p e n M e d i a G r o u p P u b l i c a t i o n | 5 0 ¢ | Vo l u m e 1 7 , N o . 2 1
City renews ban on adult shops Milton will take no applications for new retailers
By CANDY WAYLOCK candy@appenmedia.com
By CHAMIAN CRUZ chamian@appenmedia.com MILTON, Ga. — The Milton City Council extended its moratorium on new businesses engaged in the display and sale of adult video or printed material at its May 16 meeting. The temporary ban, which extends another seven months, also includes stores offering for sale adult instruments, devices, novelties and paraphernalia as defined in the city code. On April 11, the City Council enacted a 30-day moratorium prohibiting the acceptance of any applications for a building permit, land disturbance permit or any other form of regulatory permit approval for adult bookstores. According to city documents, when the moratorium was enacted, staff had recently received an inquiry from a business owner who wanted to know how the city would interpret “a minimum of 25 percent of its stock in trade” regarding adult bookstore items. Officials said this was the first time since the city was incorporated that this question was brought to the attention of city staff, the documents state. During the public hearing portion of the May 16 meeting, City Attor-
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The Milton City Council meets May 16 to discuss extending a moratorium on new adult bookstores for another seven months. The resolution passed unanimously. ney Ken Jarrard said Milton’s zoning code defines an adult bookstore as an establishment or facility licensed to do business in the city that has a minimum of 25 percent of its stock in trade comprised of items such as books, magazines, periodicals, DVDs, CDs, novelties and paraphernalia depicting various specified sexual activities. The moratorium, Jarrard said, will give staff additional time to reconsider the city’s definition of adult bookstores and think about whether the 25 percent limitation is appropriate. The
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moratorium is set to expire Dec. 19, but the City Council has the option to extend it further. “That will be enough time for us to consider this issue, put together something to rework it, bring it back to you for the required number of public hearings and then hopefully have in place a different sort of adult bookstore definition that may be more consistent with what Milton is looking for,” Jarrard said.
See MORATORIUM, Page 21
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ATLANTA — Declining enrollment and increasing vacancies in elementary and middle school classrooms is prompting Fulton County Schools officials to get creative about how education will look in the future. Enrollment projections for North Fulton schools show more than 9,000 available seats in kindergarten through 8th grade next year, with few signs of growth through the decade. School officials say they hope innovative options for education may draw new families into the region and lure private school students back to public schools. One idea with strong support from administrators are kindergarten through 8th grade academies focused on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math). These academies could be located within existing school buildings with infrastructure already in place. In the North Fulton region, one potential opportunity for a K-8 academy is at Holcomb Bridge Middle
See SCHOOLS, Page 6