City Weighs Distance Limits on Tobacco Shops Near Homes, Schools

The city is considering a rule that would ban tobacco shops from operating within minimum distances of residential areas, schools and other smoke shops – and require stores that don't meet such standards to close or relocate within two or three years.

Council members Philip Falcone, Clarissa Cervantes and Sean Mill discussed the matter at a Land Use Committee meeting Monday, and asked city staff to return with an ordinance that would set new distance limits and to come back with more data on how many shops would be affected.

The proposed rules would ban standalone tobacco shops from operating within 100 feet of a residential area, within 600 feet of a school and within 1,000 feet of another tobacco shop. Staff said the rules would apply to both new and existing stores, and that an amortization program could require noncompliant businesses to relocate or close within a set period.

City staff said they introduced the motion due to both public health concerns and concerns about illegal sales of illicit substances.

Paloma Montes, the public policy leader for Riverside's Blue Zone Project, told the committee during public comment that the group supports limiting smoke shops near sensitive sites.

"[This] is an urgent topic in regards to safety and health in our community," Montes said. "A study in the National Library of Medicine showed that people living in neighborhoods with high densities of tobacco retailers are more likely to be diagnosed with or die from tobacco-related disease."

Staff said the proposal is consistent with the city's Blue Zones goal of reducing tobacco exposure for vulnerable populations.

Mill said he wanted to expand the regulations to ban smoke shops from operating within 1,000 feet across all sensitive locations.

Falcone agreed, adding that the rules would help prevent overconcentration in one ward. He also said he favored "a little more strong [sic] rules" on tobacco shops because the issue "has been out in the community" and residents have raised concerns.

Committee members said they wanted more information on how many existing smoke shops would be forced to move or shut down.

Cervantes asked whether the city needed to determine "who gets to stay and who has to move" if two shops fall within the same restricted area, saying the city should "legally check into that."

City staff will return in the coming weeks with updated numbers and possible options for a two- or three-year amortization period. The ordinance will then go to the City Council for further consideration.