Changes for One Group of Greensboro Businesses

Greensboro officials are rewriting what the city calls “sexually oriented business” rules.

In Greensboro peep shows and adult book stores must be at least 1,000 feet from a school, a park or a church. However, the city's ordinance language has caused some confusions regarding how these businesses are identified. As a result, on January 7, Tuesday night, city council members changed the wording of the ordinances. City Councilman At Large Mike Barber says it was an over-due update. "The first thing we changed is to utilize sexually oriented businesses (SOB) instead of adult businesses," explains Barber. He  estimates there are about 15 sexually oriented businesses in Greensboro.

Also the original ordinances were so broad that a drugstore selling personal massagers and condoms could be considered a sexually oriented business.  "Another change is that the floor space that is divided to these items must be 10 percent or greater at a location," says Barber. "That is going to more narrowly define what a sexually oriented business might be." Another change prohibits sexually oriented businesses in the central district downtown. Also, nuisance abatement laws will be used to shutdown non-compliant SOB's as opposed to creating broad brush anti-business ordinances.