The Jefferson City Planing and Zoning Commission has said that tattoo studios should be allowed to open up wherever they want in the downtown area.
By a unanimous vote, they turned down a proposal that would have allowed the current two tattoo businesses to stay downtown, but would have allowed no others to come in.
In the city staff analysis that was presented to the commission, it stated, "Recently, concerns have been expressed regarding future concentrations of tattoo and body piercing shops, particularly in downtown."
When asked by commission members if there had been any problems since the ordinance came about in January, city staff said there had been none.
Fourth Ward Councilman Carrie Carroll, who sponsored the original tattoo proposal and is a downtown business owner herself, urged the commission not to ban more tattoo parlors from coming, saying there was no good argument for it.
Also arguing against this was Mark Pulliam, owner of Cadillac Ink Tattoo Co. on Ash Street, who said he couldn't ever see Jefferson City being able to support more than four tattoo shops.
No one spoke in favor of the downtown ban proposal.
Currently, along with Pulliam's shop and the two downtown shops, there is also a shop in an industrial district of the city.
There was an effort to also allow tattoo shops in C-1 zoning, known as neighborhood/commercial and includes areas such as Capital Mall. But that motion was voted down.
The measure now goes on to the City Council for its consideration.
In other commission action, a measure was tabled on a rezoning proposal in the 1600 block of Hayselton Drive to allow for the construction of 15 single-family homes.
The proposal called for 4.28 acres to be rezoned from RS-3 single-family residential to planned unit development.
In 2005, the City Council approved a proposal for this area that would have consisted of a 50-unit condominium development with two buildings, but the development was never constructed.
Mike Bates of Central Missouri Professional Services, the consultant representing Dick Otke of River Bluff Condominiums LLC and property owner Rayma Chinn said they wanted to have public meetings with neighbors of the property after hearing their concerns about the proposal.
A number of neighbors had come to the meeting at City Hall. Some told reporters they were concerned about access into and out of the area with this development. The issue will come back before the commission in December.
In other action, the commission approved a preliminary planned unit development plan to construct a nearly 8,300-square-foot medical office building and parking lot in the 3500 block of West Edgewood Drive.
The application was filed by Women's Clinic Land Company LLC, owned by Dr. Brian Stephens and Dr. Lorraine Dodson.
The current clinic is located at St. Mary's Health Center.
This property had previously been up for rezoning for projects such as a Kohl's retail building in 2005 and for a larger medical office building in 2008. Neither project came to fruition at the site.
Once some minor staff recommendations are addressed by the developers, the measure could come back to the commission or those recommendations could be handled directly by staff and then sent on to the City Council.
Developers hope to have the clinic open by the end of next year.