But it’s going to be a touch while before it’s determined whether or not a replacement icare vape that opened downtown last month are going to be permitted to remain .
Borough council voted unanimously Tuesday night to table a proposed amendment to the zoning ordinance that might restrict the sale of vaping-related merchandise to at least one section of town. There was no indication of when a vote on the amendment would come before council.
But if the zoning restrictions on the sales of e-cigarettes and vaping products are approved, they will be the first of their kind in Dauphin County, according to a review of the proposal by the county’s planning commission.
Though there was no vote Tuesday night, there was plenty of discussion from residents on both sides, some saying vaping is a helpful smoking cessation tool and the business is welcome to town, and the others saying it doesn’t belong there.
It started when Joshua Sanders moved his vaping business, East Coast Vapor, to downtown Paxtang from Swatara Township in late December.
New icare vape shop may be forced to close with proposed ordinacne.
Sanders told PennLive earlier this month that he checked with borough officials before buying the former furniture store at 3440 Derry Street and was told it was OK to operate such a business there.
Since the proposal.
would not allow such sales in most zones, including downtown, where East Coast Vapor is located, Sanders was issued an enforcement notice, indicating that he is operating his business in violation of the proposed amendment.
After hearing from a dozen or so residents, Councilman Thomas Wingert made a motion to table a vote on the amendment to allow consideration of the comments by residents.
The planning commission’s recommendations called for tightening up some of the language, but they did not directly address East Coast Vapor. But the residents had something to say about it.
Elizabeth Marx asked council, when they icare vape, to consider what they want for the future of their town.
“I think this is often a consideration of what we would like Paxtang to seem like,” she said, adding “when I saw the vape shop sign went up, my heart sank.”
Paxtang Elementary PTO President Casey Keene said Paxtang may be a nice neighborhood with a pizzeria and a cafe , and she or he felt comfortable allowing her kids to play there.
“It’s heartbreaking to ascertain a vape shop open up right there where i used to be encouraging my children’s’ independence,” she said.
Resident Becky Kasparek said she moved to town because of its tree-lined streets and beautiful shops, but she would not have moved to Paxtang if she saw a vape shop there.
Mike Stroukoff said he has worked in the pharmacy business for several years and sees many people who come in for prescribed products to help them quick smoking cigarettes.
He see a icare vape shop as a “beacon of hope” for those hooked in to cigarettes.
Pykosh, Sanders’s attorney, said his client started his electronic cigarette business with just $250, but he worked hard over the years, has grown it, and was able to buy his building on Derry Street. Prior to purchasing it, Sanders called borough officials, was candid about the shop, did his due diligence, and was told he was okay to open up shop.
“This is a big deal for Mr. Sanders,” Pykosh said. “Passage of this amendment goes to financially destroy him, his wife and his daughter.”
Resident Andy Saylor added there was a lot of talk about the character of the community, but he said part of character is fairness.
This came after the Trump Administration announced earlier this month it’ll prohibit fruit, candy, mint and dessert flavors from small, cartridge-based e-cigarettes that are fashionable highschool students, The Associated Press is reporting. But menthol and tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes are going to be allowed to stay on the market.
