The Woodstock City Council has acted to extend moratoriums on Ridgewalk Parkway development, and on issuing new massage-related licenses, to give the city time to update ordinances concerning the two issues.

The council approved on second reading an ordinance extending the Ridgewalk moratorium from Oct. 16 to Jan. 31, 2019. The measure bars applications for public hearings, site plan reviews or building permits, with some exceptions, as the city completes revisions to the Land Development Ordinance.

Separately, the council had first reading of an extension, through Dec. 20, of a moratorium barring new licenses for massage or bodywork therapists or establishments or related work permits, with some exceptions.

The measure refers to four instances of massage parlors cited for ordinance violations since the beginning of 2016, as well as “violations of a lascivious nature,” with men and women “suspiciously exiting the premises hurriedly, as code and law enforcement have arrived to conduct compliance inspections.”

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A native of Columbus and a fine arts graduate of Clark Atlanta, Amy Sherald was chosen as the official portrait artist of former first lady Michelle Obama. On the same week that the portrait was unveiled at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, it was also announced that Sherald was awarded the High Museum's 2018 David C. Driskell Prize. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

Credit: Andrew Harnik