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By Conor Shine (contact) 
Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011 | 1:27 p.m.
Sun archives
- Residents critical of pawn shop’s plan to move into neighborhood (Nov. 16, 2011)
An ordinance allowing pawnshops to open along Las Vegas Boulevard between Sahara and Charleston avenues met resistance Tuesday morning from a Las Vegas City Council committee and was delayed for more than a month to allow staff time to tweak the bill.
The change, proposed by Mayor Carolyn Goodman, would allow jewelry stores, pawnshops and secondhand dealers to open in a part of the city where they are currently prohibited.
Goodman thinks the new ordinance will allow businesses to expand, filling vacant spaces along the corridor and hiring more employees.
“My sense is we have a blighted commercial sector,” Goodman said. “(Pawnshops) would become an attractive piece filling up empty space.”
Because the city only issues a fixed number of pawnshop licenses, the new ordinance would not increase the number of pawnshops in the city.
City Councilman Bob Coffin and Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian, who together led Wednesday’s recommending committee, expressed concerns about the bill and the potential it has to affect residents.
There was also an indication that the ordinance was prompted in part by a dispute involving an existing pawnshop located downtown that lies in the path of a major potential redevelopment project.
Ace Loan, 215 N. 3rd St., sits adjacent to the Lady Luck, which has been targeted for a $100 million facelift. It will be reborn as Downtown Grand and become an anchor for further development in the area.
Ace Loan’s owner, Howard Bock, would like to move the pawnshop to a building he already owns at 519 E. St. Louis Ave., but he is prohibited from doing so by city code, because the shop would sit too close to residential areas and another nearby pawnshop.
Goodman indicated she hopes that opening more spaces for pawnshops could entice Super Pawn, which is adjacent to the proposed site of Ace Loan, to move, thus resolving the issue.
Tarkanian said she had reservations about overturning pawnshop restrictions to solve a dispute elsewhere.
“I have a concern about changing a rule this strong," she said. "Just on the basis of an individual who’s having some difficulty."
Coffin said the ordinance is not quite ready and suggested setting it aside to allow for more discussion.
A new hearing was set for the bill on Jan. 31, where the recommending committee will decide whether to forward it along to the full city council for a vote.
One resident spoke out at Tuesday’s meeting, telling city leaders that he and his neighbors don’t want pawnshops in their neighborhood.
“I’m strongly opposed to overturning the ban. There are already plenty of pawnshops just north of Charleston,” resident Hart Fleischhauer said. “Who is this going to benefit?”
Goodman said she wouldn’t want a pawnshop in her neighborhood but said she thinks they fit in with the other businesses along the targeted stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard, which includes tattoo parlors, massage parlors and strip clubs.
Heck, pawn shops fit in fine on all of Las Vegas Blvd. It should not even be an issue. I fail to see why massage parlors and strip clubs are O.K. but pawn shops are not.
I am not certain why pawn shops are restricted to a certain area. Do they do illegal activities? sell drugs? alcohol? prostitution?...I am not sure what I am missing here. With a show like Pawn Stars, I think that a pawn shop next to the MGM or the NYNY would be jam packed 24hrs a day, give them a liquor and gambling license and it would be a tourists dream.
This is not the first time Mr.Bock has been compelled to relocate due to community redevelopment, and I tend to side with Mayor Goodman in her assessment that the proposed changes to the strict law would in this case "be a good fit and work". Both our government and its citizens must be equally flexible in order for things to work for the benefit of all.
Pawn shops in Las Vegas tend to maintain their facilities, and keep a neighborhood looking clean and inviting. They are a specialized service and have little problems in our community.
It may be time to revisit these ordinances and see if they are a "good fit" in our current times.
Blessings and Peace,
Star
So, if only a fixed number of licenses are issued, then basically they would vacate one part of town to go to another. How is this a benefit to Las Vegas? In response to "UTE William Finch", you said " I fail to see why massage parlors and strip clubs are O.K. but pawn shops are not."
Because, William, you can't go on a 3-day bender and hawk your wedding ring and watch at a massage parlor or strip club. The whole reason why Pawn Shops were not allowed on the strip is to prevent run-a-way gambling benders. Now, granted, we all agree that if someone really wanted to hawk their stuff for one more casino day, they could easily catch a cab and say 'the nearest pawn shop' and that would be that but at least it was off-strip and that's the issue at hand here.
Thanks for your comments.