Council denies transfer of massage‑establishment waiver after applicant’s regulatory history is raised

Council considered Item 12 on July 13, a request to extend a waiver to a new owner for a massage establishment at 16345 Middlebelt (petition 2019‑04‑02‑07). Doug Rands, who spoke for the property, corrected the clerk’s item language to identify the incoming owner as Jingyu (Xing) Yu Chen.

Councilmember Robin Perscony initially offered a conditional motion to approve, then withdrew it after members raised questions about the applicant’s associated business names and standing of the LLCs involved. During questioning, councilmembers asked Chen about her work history; Chen, through an interpreter, confirmed she had practiced in Washington state and acknowledged a July 2022 Department of Health sanction and a two‑year probation arising from an investigation that cited failures tied to employee licenses, client medical records and unsanitary conditions.

"That's me," Chen acknowledged in response to a council question about the Washington sanction, according to the transcript.

After Perscony withdrew the approval motion, Councilmember McCullough moved to deny the waiver transfer; the clerk recorded the roll‑call denial as 7–0.

What happened in the meeting: councilors sought clarity about the buyer’s identity (the record showed Ocean Wellness LLC at the address and earlier references to a different buyer, "Yo Yo Spa LLC"). Council members pressed the applicant about prior regulatory action in Washington before concluding they could not approve the transfer at that time.

Next steps: the denial ends the transfer request recorded as Item 12 on this agenda. The council did not direct an immediate appeal or rehearing during the session; any future petition to operate at the address would need to be resubmitted and could include additional documentation about licensure and compliance.