Latest news with #UDO
Chicago Tribune
03-08-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Porter County moves to define ‘barndominium' housing category
In a move not unfriendly to barndominiums, but designed to help them better coexist with more traditional forms of housing, the Porter County Plan Commission voted unanimously Wednesday evening to forward a favorable recommendation to the Board of Commissioners that it pass a resolution better defining the housing category and how it may be situated on a property. 'As a principal, we don't object to these,' said Porter County Director of Development & Storm Water Management Mike Jabo. 'They can be quite attractive, but they can also be quite large.' He gave a presentation that included artist renderings of a variety of barndominiums, both small and large, and started off by dashing the fallacy that they are pole barns. 'That's false too,' Jabo said. 'It can be metal. It can be stone. It can be wood. 'We're trying to compare these things with the footprint they consume,' he added. 'The UDO (Unified Development Ordinance) is very silent on these kind of structures.' Porter County Building Commissioner Mike Haller said the popularity of barndominiums rises and falls with the state of the economy. He said he tends to field calls from young people looking to build housing for less, but in the end the finished product rarely costs less than traditional housing. 'They're very nice. They're very safe,' he told the commission. Jabo and Haller said Porter County has only approved around seven barndominiums so far. Under the proposed ordinance chapters 2, 5, and 12 of the UDO would be amended to give guidelines on barndominiums in the General Agriculture (A1), Prime Agriculture (A2), and Rural Residential (RR) districts in unincorporated Porter County. After considerable discussion, during which the eight plan commission members present were each given the opportunity to raise questions, concerns, and comments, it was agreed to recommend the proposed ordinance in its draft form. Porter County Attorney Scott McClure stressed that the label of barndominium was technically unimportant as the percentage of the structure given over to storage was the true classifying characteristic. The proposed ordinance reads, 'The attached non-residential utility space of the structure that is greater than fifty percent (50%) of the total structure footprint is considered to be a Barndominium.' It also explains that the residential portion of the barndominim is typically characterized by large, open space with high ceilings. Minimum setbacks in the A1, A2, and RR districts will be 100 feet at the front, sides, and rear, while barndominiums adjacent to residential districts R1, R2, R3, R4, or RL will have setback requirements of 200 feet on adjacent sides of the structure. 'The farther away you are from something, the shorter it looks,' Jabo explained. Minimum lot size is as set forth in districts A1 and A2 and a minimum of five acres in RR districts. Minimum lot width as proposed is 250 feet and maximum height as proposed is 35 feet with the typical exceptions for agriculture districts. The non-residential utility space portion of the structure may not exceed 75% of the total footprint and garage or indoor vehicle parking is not included in the residential portion of the calculation. Plan Commission members were concerned with a few issues: aesthetics, how modifications to barndominiums or even existing traditional residential structures might surpass the 50% limit, and residents attempting to run businesses out of barndominiums. 'The aesthetics was a question,' said Board of Commissioners Vice President Ed Morales, R-South, who sits on the Plan Commission, 'but with the 100 ft. setback I think it's a good first step.' 'I like the 50/50,' added Plan Commission President Rick Burns of the living to storage ratio. 'I don't think we should go over 50%.' Member Pamela Mishler-Fish was concerned that as barndomiums changed hands they might become appealing to those looking to run businesses where they live. 'It could be a totally different situation than what it started out as,' she said. Fellow commission member Craig Kenworthy was skeptical on that front. 'How do you tell somebody, 'You can't run a business'? That gets really muddy to me.' Haller said nine times out of 10, people running businesses do so from a separate structure. 'I probably know of one that's attached to the house,' he said. Commission member Luther Williams asked if a homeowner could house horses in a barndominium and McClure confirmed that was an acceptable use. The proposed ordinance and the commission's recommendation for approval now moves on to the Board of Commissioners for consideration.
Qatar Tribune
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Qatar Tribune
Filipino-led CREWQ set to compete in UDO World Street Dance Championships in UK
Darlene Regis The CREWQ Team, based in Qatar and representing the prestigious Movement & Fitness Elite Center (MFEC) Street Dance School, is thrilled to announce its participation in the upcoming UDO World Street Dance Championships in Blackpool, United Kingdom, this August 2025. The Conquest Continues Comprising talented young dancers from various nationalities—including the Filipino community—CREWQ will compete in the Under 8, 10, and 12 Beginners categories. Adding to the delegation is a special Parents Team, a supportive group of dedicated parents who will also take center stage. Behind the Moves Under the visionary leadership of Filipino Team Director and choreographer Aristotle 'Coach A' Hernandez, CREWQ is bringing high-impact performances that fuse different street dance styles. His choreography integrates elements of afro, lite feet, femme, K-pop, house dance, and breakdance. He has been instrumental in growing a vibrant dance community in Qatar, inspiring creativity and talent across the region. Coach A's initiative to invite global street dance artists to participate in the dance summer camp will be a highlight this year — marking the first time for Qatar to host big names in the street dance industry. 'Our goal is to inspire and showcase the true essence of street dance while representing Qatar on an international stage,' said Hernandez. Global Stage To prepare for the championship, the team has undergone intensive training with renowned street dance masters from around the world. The CREWQ Dance Camp, running until August 7, features masterclasses from international artists, in addition to a performance tour that includes school and brand visits across Qatar. Send-Off Supporters will get a final chance to see the team perform at the CREWQ Send-Off Show just before their departure. The team will be in the UK from August 13 to 17, culminating in their competition on August 14 at the iconic Winter Gardens venue. About UDO Founded in 2002, the United Dance Organization (UDO) is the world's largest international street dance body. UDO champions inclusivity and accessibility, providing a platform for dancers of all levels, abilities, and backgrounds to express themselves through hip-hop and street dance. The UDO World Street Dance Championships is the pinnacle of the annual competition calendar, bringing together thousands of dancers from around the world to vie for championship titles in front of elite street dance and hip-hop judges. Awards The CREWQ Team has shown steady success at the UDO World Championships, placing 6th in the U16 Solo Open in 2022 and winning bronze medals in the U18 Novice and U14 Beginners in 2023, as well as in the U12 Beginners and U10 Duo categories in 2024. CREWQ Powerhouse The driving force behind CREWQ's evolution this year includes Kali showcasing finesse in femme and K-pop, Jaheena bringing the fire of dancehall, Araafat infusing rich Afro rhythms, and Ayman flipping the scene with breakdance, this dynamic faculty is led by visionary hip-hop artist and team director, Aristotle.
Chicago Tribune
19-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Who should endorse nightclubs becomes topic during Waukegan City Council meeting
A number of Waukegan's 69 taverns or restaurants with bars offer their customers entertainment in one form or another but none of the establishments are nightclubs as defined by the city's Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) approved in a 6-3 vote of the City Council last July. Ald. Lynn Florian, 8th Ward, expressed concern at Monday's City Council meeting that Encore Events was about to receive a nightclub endorsement from Mayor Sam Cunningham. The ordinance gives him the sole right to approve an endorsement. Florian said Encore was denied a nightclub endorsement by the council last year. She and a majority of the colleagues did not think it was appropriate then and she has not changed her mind. 'My (8th Ward) residents overwhelmingly did not want a nightclub there due to the history of the previous nightclub. There was a murder in the parking lot. The fact that it's nestled in a neighborhood and we had approved an assisted living facility on the same property,' Florian said at the meeting. Cunningham has no intention of giving Encore or any other applicant a nightclub endorsement on its liquor license in Waukegan any time soon until he takes an in-depth look at how the UDO treats nightclubs. 'I'm going to hold off on any nightclub endorsements until we have a better understanding of who can and can't have them,' Cunningham said Tuesday. 'We have a new ordinance out there. We need to know the background of people asking for a nightclub endorsement.' Both under the former regulations before the UDO was enacted and the current rules, any business serving liquor — nightclub or not — needed a liquor license. Cunningham said the difference is a nightclub imposes a cover charge on all patrons while a tavern offering entertainment does not. By the time an individual operating a restaurant or bar receives a liquor license, Cunningham said, the person is thoroughly vetted before the City Council votes to approve or reject the application. The police department, as well as those responsible for reviewing business and liquor licenses, must approve. Before the UDO became law just under a year ago, Cunningham said someone who wanted a nightclub endorsement had to get a conditional use permit. The permit requires additional steps that are no longer necessary. In addition to getting a liquor license to serve alcoholic beverages, before the UDO, an applicant for a nightclub endorsement was required to make its case to the Waukegan Planning and Zoning Commission for a recommendation before the council took a vote. Florian said she thinks the City Council should have a say in whether a nightclub endorsement is granted to a business rather than leaving it to the mayor. She thinks a liquor commission, rather than the mayor — state law makes a mayor the liquor commissioner — should make the decisions. 'I believe this is something that should be the decision of the council,' Florian said. ' The alderman of the ward should have a say.' With the council already approving a liquor license for an individual seeking a nightclub endorsement, Cunningham said he is comfortable taking the information gleaned from the police, the fire department, business licensing, and the liquor staff and deciding whether or not to issue the endorsement.
The Herald Scotland
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
'Was he being ironic?': King Creosote at the Albert Halls
Three stars 'Was he being ironic?' the woman beside me asked. You could understand her uncertainty. After an hour of ringing, at times joyous music interspersed with comic grumbling and daft anecdotes, Kenny Anderson, aka King Creosote,had just returned to the stage to get some things off his chest. 'These views are purely my own. They do not reflect anyone else, probably in the room … They're just mine. I'm just having a go at things,' he told us before launching into a song he's been working on since 2021, entitled Cattle, Sheep, Chickens, a slightly scattershot lyric that did suggest he was worried about fluoride in the water and 15-minute cities and in which he told us that he'd been called a tree-hugger, a far right anti-vaxxer and a conspiracy theorist in a tin foil hat. And then came Dare I Hope I'm One of the Good Guys, a list-style song that rattled through a number of, shall we say, 'controversial' characters, all of whom Anderson seemed to suggest qualified for the epithet. They ranged from Van Morrison and JK Rowling to Right Said Fred and Eric Clapton. But it may have been the mentions for Mel Gibson, Alex Jones, Tucker Carlson and Neil Oliver - 'one of the best guys' - that had my gig neighbour scratching her head. These days Anderson is still living in the East Neuk, but largely offline and off the grid. He's only using paper money and at last year's Celtic Connections he finished his performance by railing against globalisation. Clear then that he is, as they say, on something of a journey. He spent much of this evening jokily telling us he was keeping his lip buttoned or telling daft anecdotes that, he hoped, wouldn't get him 'cancelled'. Set aside the fact that criticism is not cancellation, where does this leave us? Read More At the end of a very rum evening, I guess, a head-scratching mixture of beauty and bewilderment, starting early with the support act from Keny 'KY-10' Drew on modular synth. He was accompanied by Des Lawson on Korg and UDO keyboards, with Anderson himself 'messing around at the back.' The result was 30 minutes of largely instrumental music (with some jellyfish-flavoured sci-fi voiceover) that had a lovely bubbling warmth to it. Pushing buttons and knobs, Anderson had to put his glasses on just to see what he was doing. A rather sweet human detail. I know the feeling. But, really, if you've come to see King Creosote it's because you want to hear him sing. And so the main part of the evening saw Anderson, Lawson and Drew (this time on visuals) reassemble to jump back and forth through the extensive King Creosote back catalogue, starting with Aurora Boring Alias - one of the tracks he recorded with Jon Hopkins for the Honest Words EP in 2011 - before jumping back to 2000 and Something Beginning With D. Does Anderson himself want to hear himself sing, I did wonder at times? There were moments when he stepped back from the mic, his vocal becoming a slightly muted texture in the mix. As a result Blue Marbled Elm Trees, one of the most beautiful songs on his last album I DES, doesn't quite hit home as hard as it should. But when he comes in close - on tracks like Kirby Grips, an absolutely transcendent My Favourite Girl and Bats in the Attic, the final song of the set - you fully hear the yearn and ache of that glorious keening voice. At those points the night reached for the stars. And then the encore. The Stirling audience received it politely. Maybe they were all wondering if these songs were ironic too.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Centerville bans recreational cannabis dispensaries, keeps medical options open
Mar. 19—Centerville is prohibiting adult-use recreational cannabis dispensaries, but won't do the same for medical marijuana dispensaries. "City council's goal has always been to make decisions that best serve the health, safety and welfare of Centerville residents," Mayor Brooks Compton told the Dayton Daily News. "After thorough research and discussion surrounding Ohio's highly-regulated medical marijuana law, we believe allowing access to prescribed treatments for patients aligns with our commitment to supporting community well-being while maintaining responsible local control." Centerville City Council voted unanimously to block recreational cannabis dispensaries, but voted 4-3 to not extend the ban to medical marijuana dispensaries. Voting "yes" to ban such businesses were council members Belinda Kenley, Jennifer McLaughlin and John Palcher. Voting not to ban them were Compton and council members Mark Engert, JoAnne Rau and Bill Serr. The move comes after city staff presented regulatory options to council and determined that both measures are "in the best interest of the city for protecting the public health, safety and welfare" of its citizens. Ohio legalized medical marijuana in September 2016 via House Bill 523. However, Centerville's city council placed a hold on medical marijuana businesses in August 2016, extended it in May 2017, and let it expire. Even after the moratorium ended, medical marijuana was not included in the city's Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), which guides local land use, zoning, and planning. In November 2023, Ohio legalized recreational marijuana through Issue 2. Adults 21 and older can now buy up to 2.5 ounces at licensed dispensaries or grow up to six plants each (12 per household). Local governments can ban cannabis businesses within their borders, but people can still possess, use or grow marijuana. In November 2023, Centerville council imposed nine-month bans on medical and recreational cannabis businesses to explore regulations. The bans were extended in August 2024 and were set to expire on May 9. For adult-use recreational cannabis dispensaries, the council-imposed ban will take effect April 16. Medical marijuana dispensaries will officially become permitted May 9.
