Porn "superstores"

[John Dibble]

Well, I somewhat stray from typical Libertarian ideology in that I support modest zoning laws. Many libertarians do as well.

Generally I only support 'residential', 'commercial', and 'industrial' type zoning. Also, zoning can't affect what's already there - if a house is in an area and the area becomes newly 'commercial' that house has every right to be there(previous zoning laws would apply, if any existed, so additions could still be made) - though if it is torn down a new house can't be built, it must conform to the new zoning laws.

Porn shops and the like, though having the right to exist in my view, do have one statistically proven problem - in areas of larger population clustering them can result in an increase in crime in the area, usually resulting from street prostitutes wondering around, bringing with them their pimps and eventually drug dealers, and all that comes with that. It takes two or more to do that, and it gets worse with more, creating a 'red light district'. Now, a single shop is usually quite harmless, though it would decrease property values in a residential district. So, the best solution is to use zoning laws to distance them so the criminal elements won't have somewhere to gather.

[John Dibble]

Well, I somewhat stray from typical Libertarian ideology in that I support modest zoning laws. Many libertarians do as well.

Generally I only support 'residential', 'commercial', and 'industrial' type zoning. Also, zoning can't affect what's already there - if a house is in an area and the area becomes newly 'commercial' that house has every right to be there(previous zoning laws would apply, if any existed, so additions could still be made) - though if it is torn down a new house can't be built, it must conform to the new zoning laws.

Porn shops and the like, though having the right to exist in my view, do have one statistically proven problem - in areas of larger population clustering them can result in an increase in crime in the area, usually resulting from street prostitutes wondering around, bringing with them their pimps and eventually drug dealers, and all that comes with that. It takes two or more to do that, and it gets worse with more, creating a 'red light district'. Now, a single shop is usually quite harmless, though it would decrease property values in a residential district. So, the best solution is to use zoning laws to distance them so the criminal elements won't have somewhere to gather.

I'm sure you would support mixed-use zoning? I actually feel that are zoning laws are too restrictive in many ways, and too relaxed in others. Many rural areas are just zoned low density residential which allows for huge sprawly suburban developments...I think if we allowed mixed-use zoning and instead built commercial and higher density residential in the same area it would alleviate many of the problems associated with suburban sprawl (traffic woes, new roads, and in turn higher taxes).

Mixed zoning depends on the area - any type of zoning would work for one area and work differently for others. I just prefer zoning to be done in moderation. Zoning is a local government issue.