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rews <br /> <br />SEPTEMBER 1995 <br /> <br />AMERICAN <br />PLANNING <br />ASSOCIATION <br /> <br /> · ' -' " . '~ t¢ ~, <br />Adult.Uses Ne ther <br /> "? nOr Fa:de. Away <br /> <br />Aman with a fancy car~the kind worthy of the most <br />precise attention to det~ail--flashes his membership card <br />and enters an exclusivelcar wash. Scantily clad young <br />women armed with hoses and towels take over as he gets out, <br />and for $20 he watches as theylpolish and shine his Lexus to <br />perfection. <br /> Is this service or entertainm~ent? In the case of Richard <br />Korber's Bikini Car Wash on Chicago's North Side, the city's <br />revenue department deemed it'entertainment. Almost as soon as <br />he opened the establishment last New Year's Day, he was <br />informed that he needed an amusement license if he wanted to <br />keep the establishment open with bikini-clad attendants. It was <br />not Korber's only clue that such a business might encounter <br />opposition. Last November, hewas shouted down by protesters <br />when he tried to explain his new enterprise during a community <br />meeting at the Irving Park Lutheran Church. And in March, <br />when he sought an emergency qrder to enjoin the city from <br />continuing to block his efforts to open the new business, a <br />federal judge simply ordered the two parties to "resolve this <br />business dispute" themselves before returning to court on April <br />5. Eventually, however, Korber Was able to open his facility. <br /> <br /> Korber's operation, however, is comparatively modest. In <br />Staten Island, New York, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, car <br />washes have featured topless attendants. A Jacksonville, Florida, <br />car wash features nude attendants. Angry residents succeeded in <br />closing the Staten Island facility two years ago, then focused their <br />wrath on the advertising sign that it left behind. The ongoing <br />tension between new manifestations of adult entertainment and <br />neighbors who are less than amused indicates that the regulation <br />of adult uses is an issue that just will not go away. <br /> <br />Backlash in the Big Apple <br />On September 17, the New York City planning commission is <br />scheduled to vote on a proposed new ordinance for regulating <br />adult uses. Its recommendation will then go to the city council, <br />where substantial support makes it highly probable that some <br />ordinance will be approved soon, although the council may <br />make minor changes. <br /> The proposal is the end product of an initiative launched last <br />year by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in response to a public <br />backlash against the proliferation of such businesses, not only in <br />highly visible Times Square but near residential areas of <br /> <br /> <br />