Three Wide Entertainment v. City of Athens Board of Zoning Appeals

{¶ 1} Appellant, the City of Athens Board of Zoning Appeals, appeals the decision of the Athens County Court of Common Pleas. The board denied zoning permits of appellees, Three Wide Entertainment and Christopher Stotts, to establish an adult-entertainment business on property located in Athens’s general-business zone. Concluding that the board had applied the wrong legal standard, the Court of Common Pleas vacated the board’s decision denying the permits. After reviewing the record below, we cannot say that the court abused its discretion in finding that the board had exceeded its authority.…