Dormont Borough Planning Commission Meeting: Draft Vape Shop Regulations - August 20, 2026

The Dormont Borough Planning Commission met at 6:00 PM on August 20, 2026, to discuss a proposed draft ordinance regulating vape shops, smoke shops, and tobacco stores. The supplied agenda and raw transcript are dated March 10, 2026, which conflicts with the recorded August 20, 2026 meeting date. No formal vote was taken; the meeting served as a working session to compile planning commission comments for Borough Council.

Consent Calendar

• Roll call showed full attendance by commission members, including Nathan, Patrick Fight, Corey Bruegel, Gary Zameri, Bill Gordon, and Lisa Spaziani.
• There were no minutes from the previous meeting to approve and no old business.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Gary Klamovich (1218 Oklahoma) expressed wholehearted support for the ordinance and for a full prohibition in residential and transit-oriented districts. He strongly supported the 1,000-foot separation from existing vape shops and cited two Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court cases - Wine On Court v. Armstrong Township (2009) and Phillips v. Zoning Hearing Board - as upholding 1,000-foot restrictions for nuisance-type businesses. He also suggested revenue-based classification instead of item counts, raised concern about inadvertently targeting cigar bars such as The Blind Fox, and supported signage and hours restrictions.

Discussion Items

• Definition of a covered tobacco store, smoke shop, or vape shop: The draft defined covered stores by principal purpose and by tobacco products making up 20% or more of total merchandise. Commissioners debated whether to use merchandise count, sales revenue, or a primary-purpose test; noted that gas stations, convenience stores, and bars selling cigarettes as a secondary item could be affected; and discussed loopholes that could be exploited by adding unrelated merchandise. Several commissioners felt 20% was too low and suggested 30-40%, while others noted that percentage-of-sales language is harder for staff to enforce and that Bridgeville's 'primary source of revenue' model may be better.
• Distance and zoning: The draft would allow vape shops only as a conditional use in the commercial district, prohibit them in residential and transit-oriented districts, and require a 1,000-foot separation from existing shops. Existing shops are clustered within roughly 1,500 feet of each other, and a 1,000-foot buffer would limit but not eliminate future shops. One commissioner described 1,000 feet as roughly the distance from CVS to past Slapshots. The council president noted that if all existing shops were removed, two new shops could still open at opposite ends of the borough, so the buffer is not a complete ban.
• Conditional-use and application process: New vape shops would need planning commission approval and a public hearing, unlike most new businesses. Questions were raised about the number of application copies, whether the commission could hear applications on its regular two-month cycle, and whether zoning hearing board variances would still be possible.
• Ventilation and smoking: The draft's ventilation requirement was viewed as too vague. Commissioners discussed specifying 12-15 air changes per hour or 60-100 CFM per smoker, and whether vents would affect sidewalks or public rights-of-way. There was general consensus to instead prohibit smoking on vape shop premises, following Bridgeville's approach, which could eliminate the need for detailed ventilation standards. One commissioner cautioned against loopholes involving other airborne contaminants.
• Alcohol, cigar bars, and other products: Commissioners recommended carve-outs for genuine cigar bars such as The Blind Fox, noting that The Blind Fox maintains its cigar-bar liquor designation at roughly 10-15% of quarterly sales. The draft's 20% threshold could unintentionally capture such businesses or create a change-of-use issue. Commissioners also identified gaps in the draft covering glass paraphernalia, e-liquid refilling, oils, CBD/THCA products, and similar items, while recommending that licensed medical marijuana dispensaries be explicitly exempt. The council president noted that recreational marijuana legislation, if passed, would likely preempt local regulation.
• Bridgeville model and other council work: The commission reviewed Bridgeville's recently adopted vape shop rules, which include a 500-foot distance, a primary-source-of-revenue definition, prohibition of self-service displays and on-premises smoking, and no sales to or employment of minors. Staff agreed to share Bridgeville's zoning language. The borough manager also noted that the sign ordinance had already been amended to reduce wattage and window signage, and council is working on a fee schedule that may include fees for skill games and electronic amusement machines.

Key Outcomes

• No motion was made and no formal vote was taken.
• The commission reached consensus to recommend that Borough Council revise the draft to: align the definition more closely with Bridgeville's ordinance; replace or substantially raise the 20% merchandise/sales threshold; close loopholes for glass, oils, refilling, and cannabinoid products; explicitly exempt medical marijuana dispensaries and genuine cigar bars; add a no-smoking provision; and keep the conditional-use and 1,000-foot distance requirements.
• Individual commissioner comments were to be sent to the commission secretary within one week; the secretary would compile them within the following week for transmittal to Borough Council. The transcript references March 17 and March 24, 2026, as those internal deadlines, though the meeting date is recorded as August 20, 2026. A subsequent meeting may be needed to review the revised ordinance.