Hermosa Beach City Council has voted to allow tattoo parlors downtown and along the PCH and Aviation Boulevard corridors, and approved a permit for an open-front restaurant on Hermosa Avenue, although heated discussion preceded a unanimous vote.
The tattoo decision came after a federal appeals court ruled that tattoos are a form of constitutionally protected expression, and directed City Hall to allow an artist to set up in town.
The council took up the matter Oct. 11 with Mayor Pete Tucker on vacation, and deadlocked with half his colleagues wanting to limit the parlors to PCH and Aviation, and the other half wanting to also allow them in a downtown zone including the Pier Plaza and a piece of Hermosa Avenue.
On Tuesday, Tucker decided the question, voting to allow the parlors downtown as well as the PCH and Aviation business corridors. The newly reconfigured upper Pier Avenue is a “specific plan area” with restrictive zoning, and it was never on the table for tattoo parlors, city officials said.
Tattoo artist Johnny Anderson, who sued the city for the right to operate in Hermosa, told the council that he “grew up at the base of the pier” and wants to open a tattoo parlor in an upstairs location on the Pier Plaza.
The council voted to require a 1,500-foot separation between each tattoo parlor that might set up shop along PCH and Aviation, and a 1,000-foot separation downtown. At Councilman Jeff Duclos’ urging, the council agreed to prohibit parlors from expanding once they are opened, and to limit hours of operation to 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ER
