The city has tattooed itself into a corner.
Back in November, the Laguna Beach Planning Commission – except for Commissioner Jorg Dubin – approved a sixth tattoo parlor. That alone raised eyebrows for a city the size of Laguna.
But what was especially controversial was the location: almost next door to Laguna Tattoo in the Sleepy Hollow district. Literally the parlors would be less than 300 feet away from each other.
The irony is, if the proposed tattoo parlor, Vatican Gallery, at 618 S. Coast Hwy., were across the street, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
It wouldn’t be allowed because it would violate the downtown’s sacred rules around business saturation. Instead, it’s just outside the boundaries next to the Chevron.
“The City is not allowed to evaluate applications based on whether it will create competition for an existing business,” according to the Planning Commission meeting minutes. “The City does not have a cap on the number of businesses that may offer the same goods or services as existing businesses outside the downtown area.”
So what does all this mean? It means the Planning Commission basically had no recourse and had to approve the new parlor. For better or worse, let competition rule.
It’s a bad rule in this case.
For the same reasons that Laguna has banned two T-shirt shops side-by-side downtown, it should not allow two of the same businesses anywhere else.
Two drycleaners side-by-side in the HIP District? No.
Two Mexican restaurants side-by-side in North Laguna? OK, maybe that could work.
Clearly, the business boundary rules in Laguna have become untenable. They are arbitrary and unfair to both businesses and residents. (And by the way, no shade on the new parlor’s aspirations or tattoo shops in general.)
This issue was supposed to come before the City Council on appeal, Tue., Feb. 13, but the meeting was postponed.
Let’s hope it gives everyone a chance to take a breath and come up with a more reasonable, equitable solution.
