Council denies zoning change for tattoo shop

During its Jan. 17 meeting, Waxahachie City Council unanimously denied a zoning change request to allow a tattoo shop in the Rogers Hotel, located at 100 N. College St. in downtown Waxahachie.

The request would have changed the zoning from Central Area, which prohibits tattoo shops, to Planned Development Central Area, which would allow Lost Veil Tattoo to open inside the Rogers Hotel in Suite 305.

“I’m not looking to do anything crazy, just trying to keep it super lowkey,” owner Zach Rench said. “I’m (currently) in a weird spot between Motel 6 and Motel 8, so it seems sketch. I’m just trying to get out of that weird area, and I really love the Rogers. I love the vibe there.”

In their report, city staff recommended denial because they were concerned “about the number of tattoo shops within the downtown area in such proximity to one another,” according to the city staff report. Lost Veil would be the third tattoo shop, with Ink Masters on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Heart-In-Hand on the corner of Rogers and Jefferson streets. City staff felt that Lost Veil could find another property that is zoned Commercial, which would allow tattoo shops. The Planning and Zoning Commission offered no recommendation on the request as they were split 3-3 on their vote Jan. 10.

Council member Chris Wright explained how city council and the planning department tries to control what goes into downtown to keep it growing.

“It’s taken a long time to get the city’s downtown area to start building up to what they’re trying to get, tourist wise and everything else,” Wright said. “To change the zoning on something that is specifically not allowed is where the question came up.” Originally published January 19, 2023 - https://www.waxahachiesun.com/business/council-denies-zoning-change-for-tattoo-shop/article_d3061bae-984d-11ed-83a9-2762401e02f1.html