Wednesday, March 24, 2004
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Wednesday, March 24, 2004 |
| Change would OK massage therapists going solo in Fayetteville By JOHN MUNFORD Licensed, professionally trained massage therapists are more legitimate than the seedy “massage parlors” the city of Fayetteville wants to protect its citizenry from. And so the City Council plans to amend an ordinance to allow professionally trained massage therapists to operate without being held to the standards of its “sexually oriented businesses” ordinance. Currently, massage therapists must practice with a doctor or chiropractor or in association with athletic training. The ordinance amendment, which would allow them to have free-standing business offices, was posted for first reading at last week’s City Council meeting. The city will require that such professional massage therapists be graduates of a school of massage therapy to qualify for the exemption, however. The city’s “sexually oriented businesses” ordinance places restrictions on massage parlors and other similar enterprises. Sexually oriented businesses cannot locate within 1,500 feet of any school, religious institution, public park, day care center or any property used or zoned residential. Such businesses must be granted a special business license by the city and they cannot serve alcohol on the premises of that business, according to city ordinance. They are also restricted to locate in either the light manufacturing, heavy manufacturing or business park zoning. In other business last week, the council was presented with another ordinance that would put a time limit on getting development plans under way. The change would mandate that a plan would expire one year after being approved by the city. That will dovetail with the recently enacted expiration date for special exceptions, which can be granted by the city to vary from the guidelines of the zoning ordinance in a particular manner. Jahnee Prince, director of the city’s planning and zoning department, said the change would make their jobs much easier.
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