11 - PAWN SHOP DEFINITION AND ZONING

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Item No. 11 memorandum TO: Mayor & Council John Godwin, City Manager FROM: Alan Efrussy, AICP, City Planning Manager SUBJECT: "PAWN SHOP" DEFINITION AND ZONING DATE: June 6, 2017 BACKGROUND: Recently a potential applicant met with city staff requesting to establish a pawn shop business in an existing structure. There is no definition of a "pawn shop" in the Zoning Ordinance. Section 8 -109: Classification of New and Unlisted Uses requires that said new uses shall be listed, defined, and stated as to what zoning districts said uses will be allowed, not permitted, and/or require a Specific Use Permit. STATUS OF ISSUE: The city staff finds the following: A. Definition of a Pawn Shop: The following definition is derived from the Texas Finance Code, Section 371.003: "`Pawnshop' means a location at which or premises in which a business regularly (a) lends money on the security of pledged goods; or (b) purchases goods on condition that the goods may be redeemed or repurchased by the seller for a fixed price within a fixed period. For the purposes of this definition, `pawn transaction' means the pledging with a pawnbroker of a single item of goods as security for a loan of money, and `pledged goods' means goods deposited with or otherwise delivered into the possession of a pawnbroker in connection with a pawn transaction." B. Existing Pawn Shops in Paris: Staff has determined that currently four pawn shops exist in Paris, within the following zoning districts: • EZ Pawn -1455 Clarksville Street; zoning is General Retail (GR) • B & D Jewelry & Pawn Shop -1780 North Main Street; zoning is Commercial (C) • Paris Jewelry & Loan-2003 Lamar Avenue; zoning is Commercial (C) • Seay Pawn & Fun -2515 South Church Street; zoning is Commercial (C) C. Texas Local Government Code (TLGC): Section 211.0035 "Zoning Regulations and District Boundaries Applicable to Pawnshops" states the following: