WESTMINSTER : City Eases Rules for Pawnshop Locales

The City Council has approved an ordinance allowing pawnshops to operate in commercial zones that were previously off limits.

The council approved the ordinance 4 to 1, with Councilman Frank Fry Jr. voting against it. Fry said the ordinance would cause “a proliferation of pawnshops” and that the city permit process would not be sufficient to regulate them.

However, Mayor Charles V. Smith disagreed.

“I think the (permit) process gives us better control over a business than just zoning because it requires a public hearing, input from residents nearby,” Smith said. “We have direct control over (the business). If there’s problems that you did not anticipate, you can revoke the permit or call it up for review at any time.”

Smith also said pawnshops no longer attract crime, as they have in the past. “They have a much better image than they had years ago because of much better control of what goes on in the shops, the reporting procedure with police. It’s very difficult to fence stolen goods through a pawnshop.”

Curtis Chapman, owner and operator of the city’s only pawnshop, requested the ordinance allowing him to open a second shop in a less-crowded commercial area. Previously, pawnshops were limited to high-density commercial areas. The ordinance takes effect Feb. 21.