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Batavia will allow no more than 14 businesses in the city to offer video gaming. The new rules cap downtown gaming locations at nine.
City Council approved the limit on Monday along with new location rules and a more straightforward approval process. Any future increase now requires a council vote.
Here's what to know:
School and church buffers: New gaming locations must be at least 100 feet from the property line of a school or place of worship. Officials considered including parks but ultimately left them out.
Gaming cafés prohibited: Batavia won't allow businesses where gaming is the primary attraction and food/drinks are secondary. Gaming has to be a side feature of a bar, restaurant, veterans or fraternal club, or truck stop.
A streamlined process: Gaming no longer requires a special zoning approval with a public hearing, which officials say previously added significant time to the process. Businesses within the limit and location rules can now go straight to the licensing process, including in office and industrial areas.
Existing locations that don’t currently comply with this requirement can transfer their license within one year to a new owner and operator with city approval.
Read more about the new rules in this agenda document.
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