Tattoo Parlor Given Time to Comply with Conditions

The owner of a new tattoo shop on South Water Street has about a month to adhere to conditions of his business operation set by the Kent Planning Commission in January.

The commission voted Tuesday to give Jason Miller until the board’s Sept. 3 meeting to comply with the six conditions set eight months ago for the operation of his tattoo parlor, Crucible Tattoo, at 707 S. Water St.

Miller was called to appear before the commission Tuesday by the city after it received a complaint about parking at the shop.

“When we went back and reviewed what was supposed to be done, we realized the conditions placed by the planning commission … had not all been met,” said Jennifer Barone, planning engineer for the city of Kent.

When the planning commission gave Miller permission in January to open the tattoo parlor they set the following conditions:

1. Only one tattoo artist is to be working at any given time.
2. The ingress/egress is to be modified to meet engineering requirements with adjustment to the curb cut, striping of parking spaces and delineation of ‘no parking’ areas.
3. A raised landscape bed is to be installed around the sign pole.
4. In the case where the storage area is converted to usable space, the applicant is to return to the Planning Commission for approval.
5. The closing time for operating hours is 9:00 pm.
6. Technical Plan Review.

Earlier this summer, the Kent Board of Zoning Appeals granted Miller a variance to reduce the required number of parking spaces for the business from six to three.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Miller told the planning commission he would like to see the first condition dropped entirely so he could have as many as six tattoo artists working in the space.

“We would respectfully like for those stipulations to be removed due to the fact there is another business of the same kind in the same area that doesn’t have those stipulations on them … and we would like to be treated equally,” Miller said.

This summer the commission approved plans for a tattoo parlor at 850 S. Water St.

Planning commission member John Gargan, and a few other members, said they were confused by Miller’s request to add artists, and as a result customers, after having asked for a reduction in the number of parking spaces.

When asked why plans for the parking lot striping and ingress and egress hadn’t been submitted Miller said, due to the summer months, he’s had difficulty finding an available contractor.

After nearly an hour of talking the commission agreed to give Miller and his landlord until the Sept. 3 meeting to address the conditions.

“You’ve had eight months,” commission member Greg Balbierz said. “Let’s move ahead.”