January 28th, 2013 § 0 comments § permalink
In follow-up news from Gaithersburg, Maryland …
Last week, after months of discussion and review, the Gaithersburg City Council voted unanimously to repeal their longstanding ban on ‘fortune telling’.
According to Maryland’s Gazette.net and The Huffington Post, the city received its first application for a psychic business on January 19th.
It hasn’t been approved yet, but hopefully it will be and all goes well for everyone involved.
Good on you Gaithersburg!
December 31st, 2012 § 0 comments § permalink
It looks like Wednesday is the day Gaithersburg, Maryland will decide whether or not they’ll be rescinding their present ban against ‘fortune-telling’.
As I posted last September, City Council agreed that as it stands, the law against psychic businesses should be lifted.
What still needs to be decided though, is where psychic businesses will be allowed to operate, as well as the definition of ‘fortune-telling’ itself.
According to Gazette.net, the Gaithersburg Planning Commission will be recommending that City Council enact an ordinance allowing psychic businesses to locate in specific commercial and light industrial zones.
I’ll be watching to see how this turns out and will let you all know as I know more.
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And of course …. HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE!!!! It’s been a great year. Let’s make 2013 even better!!
September 30th, 2012 § 0 comments § permalink
In June, Gaithersburg, Maryland City Council proposed amendments to the city code that would repeal the ban on fortune-telling businesses.
They did this in order to act in accordance with the Maryland Court of Appeals decision of 2010, which struck down a similar ban in Montgomery County for being unconstitutional.
While City Council agreed that the ban needed to be rescinded, they wanted to restrict fortune-telling to specific areas of the city and asked the Planning Commission to draft new ordinances.
Last week, Council was presented with the proposed zoning text amendments.
Per the proposal, fortune-telling businesses would only be permitted ‘in the I-1 Light Industrial zone, and allowed expressly as a special exception in the C-2 General Commercial, CBD Central Business District, CD Corridor Development, and MXD Mixed Use Development zones.’
Fortune-telling would be prohibited as a home occupation.
Though Council authorized city staff to move forward with both establishing the new zoning regulations and repealing the fortune-telling prohibition, they requested a redraft of the actual definition of fortune-telling before official changes are made.
As it stands, the draft presented to Council defines ‘fortune-telling’ as:
‘Any attempt to tell fortunes or predict the future (for pay or voluntary contributions) by means of occult or psychic powers, faculties, or forces; necromancy, palmistry, psychology, psychic psychometry, spirits, mediumship, seership, prophesy, cards, talismans, sorcery, charms, potions, magnetism, tea leaves, magic, numerology, mechanical devices, handwriting analyses, phrenology, character readings, or any other similar means. Fortune telling shall not be considered a home occupation, church, or other place of worship.’
Some Council members were disturbed by the inclusion of both psychology and churches in the definition and would like those words removed. Planning staff will follow up on Council recommendations and present the changes within the next few months.
Interestingly, the Commission’s report noted that fortune-telling businesses have a negative stigma, and have historically fallen into the category of ‘urban decline use’.
Other businesses in that category include pawn shops, tattoo parlors, check cashing, and sexually oriented establishments.
June 25th, 2012 § 0 comments § permalink
It might soon be legal to open a psychic business in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Last week, the Gaithersburg City Council proposed amendments to the city code that will repeal the present ban on fortune-telling businesses.
They also introduced changes to the city’s zoning laws to establish where such businesses may be located.
Until the zoning amendments are finalized, however, Gaithersburg will retain the right to deny applications for psychic business licenses.
According to the Gaithersburg Patch, Council expects a zoning proposal to be brought before them within the next few months.