Tweedle D's is one of several downtown businesses in Yellow Springs that sells hemp and cannabis products. (Photo by Reilly Dixon)
Planning Commission recommends smoke shop changes
- Published: October 20, 2026
How many smoke shops can downtown Yellow Springs reasonably have? What distance should they be from one another? What distance should they be from where children congregate?
At the group’s latest meeting, Monday, Oct. 12, Planning Commission members revisited these and related questions as the group considered recommended changes to the Village’s zoning code set forth by Planning and Zoning Administrator Nia Holt.
After about an hour of discussion and some debate, Planning Commissioners ultimately voted to go forward with Holt’s recommendations — specifically to set a cap on the number of smoke shops in Yellow Springs at one per every 1,000 residents, and that they can be no closer than 300 feet “as the crow flies” to one another and any youth-centered establishment.
Before the code changes go into effect, Village Council must vote on them, which that group is expected to do at its next regular meeting, Monday, Oct. 19.
According to a memo Holt issued to Planning Commission members ahead of Monday’s meeting, the proposed code change recommendations are intended to “promote public health, safety and general welfare by limiting youth exposure and clustering” of smoke shops.
“We are a community of families,” Chair Susan Stiles said. “Many of them have objected to having so many smoke shops, which lead their children to think this is an OK thing to be doing.”
Should the code changes be implemented, smoke shops would have their own unique regulations, similar to bike sales, artisan shops, building supply and equipment sales and others. The Village is defining smoke shops as “a retail establishment where 20% or more of floor, shelf or display area is dedicated to the sale of products including tobacco, nicotine, vapes and certain hemp-derived or synthetic cannabinoid products.” This includes a hookah lounge, but excludes gas stations and state-approved marijuana dispensaries.
By that definition, there are presently four smoke shops in downtown Yellow Springs, all of which are relatively close to one another — The Smoking Octopus, Tweedle D’s, Smoke YS Vape and the Joynt.
Should Council approve Planning Commission’s recommendations and the code changes are implemented, these four shops would be unaffected or “grandfathered” into a permitted nonconformity provision. However, each year, these shops will be required to register their business with the Village — similar to transient guest lodgings and recurring food truck events.
The discussion at Monday’s Planning Commission meeting was the latest since the beginning of June, when Village Council approved a 180-day moratorium on any new smoke shops opening their doors within Yellow Springs.
As the commission’s Village Council liaison Gavin DeVore Leonard reminded the group, Council was directed by Village staff to pass the moratorium in response to a perceived flurry of smoke shops coming to Yellow Springs toward the end of last year.
“There was some concern around the time the hardware store was being sold or closing,” he said. “Staff brought us the concern and [Council] said, ‘Sure, that makes sense.’”
The most recent smoke shop to open its doors was Smoke YS Vape last fall in the 100 block on Corry Street. A few months before, The Joynt moved into the former Import House space along Dayton Street. Both joined an existing set of downtown businesses and convenience stores that sold such products as pipes, vapes and other smoking-related items and combustibles.
Before Planning Commission approved Holt’s recommendations and drilled down on the specifics — choosing to space smoke shops 300 feet apart instead of 500, for instance — the group mused on how, or even if, smoke shops should be regulated.
Commissioner Stephen Green balked at using distance to quell any proliferation of smoke shops. Unlike the others, he didn’t believe the group ought to dictate where in the downtown district businesses can and cannot set up shop.
“I like using just the one per 1,000 residents rule,” he said. “If we want to limit who goes into these shops, we already have the 21-and-older mechanism in place. These are nice viable businesses and there are quite a few empty places downtown it seems.”
He later added: “Are we going to start thinking there are too many restaurants? Too many tattoo parlours? The whole point of a downtown is its density.”
“I don’t like the idea of being too saturated with one kind of business,” contended Scott Osterholm. “We should have a diverse background in all kinds of business.”
Stiles agreed and underscored her preference to avoid clustering any one kind of business.
Holt pointed out that the Village’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan promotes “economic diversity.”
Ultimately, the group voted 4–1 in favor of Holt’s code amendments, thereby volleying the decision to Council. Green was the dissenting vote.
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