MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. — Mount Pleasant Town Council voted without dissent Monday to set new distance limits on smoke and vape stores, a move aimed at stopping a shop planned within sight of Moultrie Middle School.
The zoning change came at a special meeting on Nov. 2. Until now the town had no rules on how close these stores could sit to schools or to each other. Under the draft, a vape store must keep a 1,000-foot buffer from K-12 campuses, both public and private, as well as day care centers, youth and community centers, parks and churches. Vape stores would also need a 1,500-foot gap between one another so they do not bunch together.
The push started with a store planned for a vacant former art gallery at 709 Coleman Blvd. The middle school is a bit less than 1,000 feet away, and Hibben United Methodist Church, where a private K-12 school meets, is nearer. The town measures the distance from property lines, which puts the planned store too close under the new rule. Earlier, the Design Review Board turned down the business’s request for five lighted signs after parents sent more than 70 comments.
Shops already open would get five years to meet the rules. Councilman Daniel Brownstein said more products, such as kratom, could be added before the second and final vote. The ordinance now goes to the planning commission before it returns to council.
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