The City Council didn't ban sexually oriented businesses outright this week, but it came pretty close.
The council voted Tuesday to allow one sexually orinted business for every 14,000 inhabitants in North Salt Lake. Currently the city has 7,000.The restriction is part of a new, comprehensive ordinance the council passed regulating adult bookstores, theaters, video stores and nude dancing bars.
The ordinance defines sexually oriented businesses as places where a real person is nude or partly nude. Thus, the 14,000-inhabitant restriction doesn't apply to bookstores or video stores.
Though many council members have said they would prefer an outright ban, constitutional concerns prevented them from doing that.
"I think it's fair," said Police Chief Val Wilson. "It's a lot more fair than just saying you can't have them."
The council has been stewing about this issue for several weeks. Council member Terry Carlson, for one, is glad it's over.
"You can't get anything perfect, but I think (the ordinance) is pretty good, at least for now," she said.