Timucua White House (Website), the house-turned-free-music-venue in Downtown South, is being required by the City of Orlando to apply for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to remain open.
The space, owned-and-operated by Benoit Glazer (the Music Director for local Cirque du Soleil production La Nouba), has been operating as a concert hall and arts venue for roughly eight years, and according to City Hall – without a permit.
Glazer has approached the City for support to continue operating his makeshift performing arts center and for funds to possibly expand it in the future, which we wrote about previously HERE.
We reached out to the City of Orlando for comment and they replied with the following:
The City is supportive of this unique community venue and we have encouraged the property owners to apply for a Conditional Use Permit to operate the concert house in a residential zoning district.This house, originally built for residential purposes in a residential zoning district, now operates in a commercial manner as a performance space and therefore requires different building code standards than as a residential house.Once the City was made aware of this concert house, the City started the process of allowing this venue to operate legally. To do this a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) is required that would address any building code requirements necessary to ensure the health and safety of patrons.
Once filed, the CUP will go to the MPB for consideration and approval.
Residents who live close to the Timucua White House at 2000 S. Summerlin Boulevard [GMap] were asked to print and fill out a survey and return it to the concert venue in time for Glazer’s scheduled meeting with the City on Dec. 22.
This means get ready for some VERY expensive and ridiculous code requirments that will certainly put them out of business.