Baltimore - from www.wbaltv.com - County lawmakers said they are scaling back on their attempts to crack down on sex shops in residential neighborhoods.
But store owners don't see it that way.
Legislators said they're relaxing proposed restrictions on how much adult merchandise the shops can carry. Their proposal still calls for a ban on stores setting up shop within 500 to 1000 feet of neighborhoods, churches, schools, parks, libraries or day care centers.
The bill would affect stores like the Love Shack in Dundalk. Owner Charles Barron said the bulk of his sales consist of lingerie as opposed to the hard-core adult movies targeted by the bill.
He said he doesn't like the idea of lawmakers dictating what he can sell or where he can do business.
"Are they going to pick and choose who can run a business in their county, or are they going to let the people who actually shop at these businesses decide what they want in there?" he said.
Sponsors of the bill said they retooled it after a more stringent version trigged an outcry from affected businesses.
"We tried to do a compromise where we tried to protect the businesses," said Baltimore County Councilman Johnny Olszewski [pictured]. "But at the same time, my No. 1 goal is to protect the community."
The bill gives impacted adult stores one year to relocate if they fall within the proposed buffer zone.
The Council is expected to vote on the measure in July.
