Planning Commission approves tattoo-studio use permit in Kramer town center amid resident concern

The Placentia Planning Commission approved a use permit for Play Inc. Tattoo to operate at 1350 North Kramer Boulevard, adopting Resolution PC-2024-07 and imposing conditions intended to limit off-site impacts.

Associate Planner Leslie Whitaker summarized staff’s review and recommended approval, describing the 856-square-foot tenant space in a multi-tenant center and noting that tattoo and body-piercing operations are regulated under the California Safe Body Art Act. Whitaker said staff had conditioned the permit with measures including prohibitions on loitering and outdoor furniture, limits on window signage, and a requirement that surveillance cameras be installed with recorded footage available to the city upon request. Whitaker told the commission staff visited parking on multiple occasions and found the 83-space lot adequate for the proposed use.

Whitaker also said staff proposed omitting condition number 23 at the request of the applicant’s attorney because it conflicted with federal law. “We would like to omit condition number 23,” Whitaker said, explaining the attorney raised a legal conflict.

Applicant Jojo Lu said she has more than 10 years’ experience and described a small operation specializing in fine-line and mandala designs. Lu said the studio would operate primarily by appointment (two full-time employees and one part-time) and that county health permits and ID checks would be maintained. “We do have a sign... and we will check everyone’s ID,” Lu said.

During public comment, Linda Shackleford, a longtime Placentia resident, urged the commission to reconsider location rules because the site is close to churches and family-oriented uses. “The concern I have is the location. It is directly across the street from Blessed Sacrament Episcopal Church…There are young children,” Shackleford said. Whitaker and other staff noted the city received a single phone complaint and that no churches or other merchants submitted opposing letters.

Commissioners asked whether the city had venue-specific radius restrictions for tattoo businesses; staff said none currently exist and cautioned that limiting tattoo studios based on content could implicate First Amendment issues. Staff noted enforcement options for any condition violations, including notices of violation and, for repeated problems, use-permit revocation.

The commission voted to approve the permit. The resolution includes the amended conditions recommended by staff (omitting condition 23). Whitaker noted the county health permit remains a separate, annual requirement.

What happens next: The applicant has 10 days to file an appeal of the commission’s decision with the city; the city will enforce permit conditions through code enforcement and business-license checks.