County's adult business ordinance to be reviewed

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Residents of Terrace Heights won't be seeing any type of adult-oriented businesses anytime soon.

Swiftly and without public outcry, Yakima County commissioners adopted a six-month zoning moratorium Thursday on the establishment of adult businesses in the unincorporated areas of the county.

The resolution was adopted at a special meeting at the county courthouse. The unanimous vote took less than 10 minutes and only two community members were present.

The delay gives the county time to develop ordinances outlining where exactly a businesses can be established. There is no mention of adult businesses in the county zoning provisions.

Currently, there are no adult businesses operating in county jurisdiction and there are no applications pending. Commissioners said their actions were borne out of a desire to have a policy in place if one were to arise.

The concern is that someone could submit an application for an adult business and there would be no basis to evaluate it, Chairman Mike Leita said. At this time there is no strict definition for what an adult business is, but commissioners hope to draft one during the moratorium.

Commissioners said the issue first came to their attention after the city of Yakima was forced to deal with controversial sexpresso stands and a proposed strip club.

In February, the City Council considered a proposal that would have classified bikini espresso stands as adult establishments. The amendment was ultimately rejected, opening the discussion about county land.

It's just a matter of time before adult establishments move outward to communities such as Terrace Heights and Tieton, commissioners said.

The county said it chose not to adopt the city codes because they weren't in line with residential standards.

"This is a local issue that I think needs local input," Commissioner Kevin Bouchey said.

Per state law, a public hearing on the issue must be held within 60 days. A hearing date has yet to be determined.