Elk Grove City Council Continues Old Town Tattoo & Piercing Salon Request

The Elk Grove City Council continued its decision on whether or not to permit a tattoo and body piercing salon in Old Town Elk Grove during their Wednesday night meeting.

The Elk Grove Old Town Foundation had sought to reverse a decision by the planning commission permitting Capital Ink Tattoo and Body Piercing to locate a new branch on Elk Grove Boulevard. The foundation expressed concern that the salon would be inconsistent with the area’s special planning provisions and would attract an unsavory clientele.

Council member Jim Cooper said that societal perceptions of tattoos have changed over the years and that he had no problem with permitting the location of the salon in Old Town

“We live in a very different society,” Cooper said. “We get a lot more [police] calls from bars than we do tattoo parlors.”

Cooper also said the salon would also help draw business to the struggling area. “It is not doing the best, there are empty storefronts down there.”

Mayor Pat Hume agreed that tattoo shops are mainstream and that he welcomed the business, but was concerned with the special planning requirements.

Council member Gary Davis said while he agreed with Cooper’s assessment, he generally sides with local groups and would support the Old Town Foundation’s request.

Scherman calls salon detrimental to Old Town

Council member Sophia Scherman said the salon would be detrimental to the nature of the Old Town. “It will crash Old town,” she said.

Cooper rebutted Scherman by noting that Elk Grove is a large diverse city and that it "should move into the twenty-first century."

After a lengthy deliberation, Hume made a motion that was approved by a 4-1 vote to continue the matter until the December 9 meeting so that a development agreement and use conditions for the salon could be developed by the city planning staff. Davis voted against the motion.