PUBLIC NOTICE - - - ORDINANCE 2026-11 AN ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING TEMPORARY MORATORIA ON CERTAIN ZONING, LAND USE, OCCUPANCY, AND BUSINESS APPROVALS FOR BARBERSHOPS AND BEAUTY SHOPS, AND FOR SMOKE SHOPS AND VAPE SHOPS, WITHIN DESIGNATED CORRIDORS OF THE CITY OF BAKER, LOUISIANA BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BAKER, LOUISIANA, THAT: SECTION 1. FINDINGS; AUTHORITY; PURPOSE. The City Council finds that the City of Baker has the authority, pursuant to its police powers and applicable zoning and land-use regulations, to regulate the location, development, and intensity of uses within the City in order to protect the public health, safety, welfare, aesthetics, and orderly development of the community. The City Council further finds that it is necessary to temporarily pause the approval of certain new or expanded uses in specified corridors to allow the City time to study land-use impacts, compatibility with surrounding uses, traffic circulation, parking demand, public safety concerns, neighborhood character, and any needed zoning or development standards. This Ordinance is adopted as a temporary measure to preserve the status quo while the City reviews and considers whether amendments to its zoning map, zoning regulations, permitting standards, or related land-use provisions are appropriate. SECTION 2. DEFINITIONS. For purposes of this Ordinance, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below: 1. “Barbershop” means any establishment primarily engaged in barbering services, including hair cutting, trimming, grooming, and related services customarily offered by a licensed barber. 2. “Beauty shop” means any establishment primarily engaged in cosmetology, hair styling, nail care, esthetics, or similar personal grooming services. 3. “Smoke shop” means any establishment primarily engaged in the retail sale of tobacco products, cigars, pipes, rolling papers, smoking accessories, hookah products, or similar merchandise. 4. “Vape shop” means any establishment primarily engaged in the retail sale of electronic cigarettes, vaping devices, vape liquids, cartridges, accessories, or similar merchandise. 5. “New use” includes a new business, a relocation, a conversion from one use to another, an expansion that increases the floor area or operational intensity of the use, or any materially similar change requiring City approval. 6. “Specified corridors” means those properties fronting or located on Groom Road and Main Street within the corporate limits of the City of Baker, as more particularly identified by the City in the permitting and zoning records administration process. SECTION 3. TEMPORARY MORATORIUM FOR BARBERSHOPS AND BEAUTY SHOPS. A temporary moratorium is hereby imposed on the acceptance, processing, approval, issuance, or granting of any new zoning approval, land-use approval, occupancy approval, certificate of occupancy, change-of-use approval, special exception, variance, permit, or other City authorization for a new barbershop or beauty shop within the specified corridors. This moratorium shall apply only to new uses and shall not apply to the continued operation of existing lawful uses, provided that no expansion, relocation, or material change in use is proposed and no new City approval is required. SECTION 4. TEMPORARY MORATORIUM FOR SMOKE SHOPS AND VAPE SHOPS. A temporary moratorium is hereby imposed on the acceptance, processing, approval, issuance, or granting of any new zoning approval, land-use approval, occupancy approval, certificate of occupancy, change-of-use approval, special exception, variance, permit, or other City authorization for a new smoke shop or vape shop within the specified corridors. This moratorium shall apply only to new uses and shall not apply to the continued operation of existing lawful uses, provided that no expansion, relocation, or material change in use is proposed and no new City approval is required. SECTION 5. DURATION. Each moratorium established by this Ordinance shall remain in effect for a period of [ninety (90)] days from the effective date of this Ordinance, unless extended, modified, or terminated earlier by the City Council after further consideration. SECTION 6. EXEMPTIONS. Nothing in this Ordinance shall be construed to: 1. Prohibit the lawful continuation of an existing use that is not materially changed; 2. Affect any use for which all required final approvals were lawfully issued prior to the effective date of this Ordinance; 3. Interfere with any emergency action required by law; or 4. Limit the City’s authority to enforce existing zoning, building, fire, health, licensing, or code requirements. SECTION 7. ADMINISTRATION. The Mayor, Zoning Official, Building Official, Code Enforcement Officer, and all other appropriate City officials are authorized to administer and enforce this Ordinance in accordance with applicable law and existing City procedures. SECTION 8. NO VESTED RIGHTS CREATED. Nothing in this Ordinance shall be construed to create any vested right to the issuance of a permit, approval, or authorization This ordinance having been submitted to a vote, the vote thereon was as follows: YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy, Vincent, Young NAYS: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None And the Ordinance was presented April 14, 2026, at the regular meeting of the Baker City Council held at the City Hall Building in Baker, Louisiana. And the Ordinance was declared adopted on this, the 28th day of April, 2026 at the regular meeting of the Baker City Council held at the Baker City Hall Building in Baker, Louisiana. ATTEST: /s/Angela Canady Wall, LCMC, Clerk of Council /s/Darnell Waites, Mayor 187089 May 11, 1t $95.73