Committee recommends banning tobacco-paraphernalia stores in North of Market SUD and Lower Polk NCD

The Land Use & Transportation Committee voted March 25 to recommend an ordinance to the Board of Supervisors that would prohibit tobacco paraphernalia establishments in the North of Market Special Use District (SUD) and Lower Polk Street neighborhood commercial district (NCD) and deem illegal nonconforming establishments abandoned after 180 days of nonuse.

The Clerk described the measure as including prohibitions on sale, delivery, distribution or marketing of tobacco paraphernalia in the specified districts and adding a provision that illegal nonconforming establishments would be deemed abandoned after 180 days of nonuse, preventing restoration as a nonconforming use.

Vice Chair Dean Preston, who co-sponsored the item with President Peskin, said the committee had previously discussed the ordinance at length and moved to forward it as a committee report. There were no public speakers on the item. The committee recorded three ayes and the motion to recommend the ordinance as a committee report to the full Board passed.

Next steps: the ordinance, agendized as a committee report, will be sent to the Board of Supervisors for consideration.