Lansdowne enacts new restrictions on smoke shops

Lansdowne officials on Jan. 21 unanimously passed an ordinance that restricts where new smoke shops can do business in the borough and how they operate.

“At a time when vaping and smoking trends among young people are rising and when smoke shops are increasingly concentrated in communities of color — this work matters,” Borough Council President Jessica Pointer said in a statement. “It’s about protecting our children, prioritizing public health, and being intentional about the environments we allow to take root in our neighborhoods.”

Smoke shops sell tobacco and smoking accessories, such as glass pipes, bongs, rolling papers and vapes (also known as e-cigarettes). The number of those establishments in Delaware County has ballooned in recent years, going from 280 in 2018 to 596 in 2024, the American Heart Association’s Jake Zychick wrote in a Jan. 9 letter supporting Lansdowne’s ordinance.

The concentration of smoke shops also tends to be higher around schools, and vapes/e-cigarettes have evolved to create packaging, flavorings and marketing that target young people, Zychick said during a Dec. 10 public meeting about Lansdowne’s proposed ordinance. That can be problematic, he said, because research suggests that “these flavored products hook youth…to begin to smoke and use these products and be addicted to them for a lifetime.”

Lansdowne’s new ordinance states that any new smoke shop opening in the borough must be located in one of four commercial districts. Prospective owners must also attend a special exception hearing in front of the zoning board and certify that their store, among other things, will:

·          Be located no closer than 1,000 feet from places where children regularly gather, like schools, daycares and parks

·          Be at least 1,000 feet from another smoke shop or tobacco store

·          Ensure that no one enters the store who is younger than 18, unless accompanied by a parent/guardian

·          Display signage stating that minors may not enter the store unless accompanied by a parent/guardian

·          Prohibit self-service displays, free samples and smoking on premises

Lansdowne currently has two smoke shops, officials said at the Dec. 10 meeting. During the borough council’s Jan. 21 meeting, the ordinance passed without much debate, aside from council member Molly Connors asking Pointer to clarify the message conveyed in a letter assessing the ordinance from the Delaware County Planning Department.

Pointer explained that although the ordinance places clear limits on where new smoke shops can be located, the county’s planning department determined that it does not eliminate the use entirely or create a barrier that would rise to an exclusionary zoning standard — and thus recommended the ordinance for adoption.

The ordinance, which goes into effect immediately, was also backed by the Delaware County Health Department.