The Homewood Village Board approved a special use permit June 23 for Darshawn Hunter and Quanteisha Carter of Q and T Elegant Affairs to operate an event center in a commercial space at 18027 Dixie Highway.

According to Noah Schumerth, Homewood director of economic and

community development, the event center will be held in a 1,875-square-foot tenant space in the B-2 Downtown Transition zoning district. The space shares a building with Woori Taekwondo and will become a permanent location for the event planning business, which has been in operation since 2018.

The venue is designed to host a variety of gatherings, including baby and bridal showers, family celebrations, meetings and children’s events. The business plans to incorporate a significant number of events for children rather than focusing primarily on adult-only events, Schumerth said. 

The business expects to host one event per evening, typically lasting four to five hours, including setup and teardown. Events are planned for weekday evenings as well as weekends, he said. 

Because the property does not include on-site parking, the plan is to rely on nearby public parking lots and street parking. The proposal identifies the Harwood Avenue, Kroner Lane and Hickory Road public lots, along with parking areas near the former Homewood Library building and St. John Neumann Church, to accommodate attendees, Schumerth said. 

To reduce traffic impacts, the events will be scheduled to avoid major downtown activities whenever possible and during periods when traffic is expected to be lighter. Security cameras will be installed at the site, and security personnel will be available for hire during events, he said. 

Alcohol cannot be served at the venue unless the business receives a liquor license from the village. Homewood does not currently have a liquor license classification specifically for event centers, Schumerth said.

According to Schumerth, the proposal meets zoning requirements for indoor commercial places of assembly and recommended approval with conditions. The Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed the request June 18 and recommended approval after discussing parking, building capacity, operating hours and liquor licensing.

As part of the approval, the applicants must submit a parking management plan demonstrating how parking will be handled during large events before receiving a building permit or business operation certificate, he said.