Sober Houses, Neighborhoods, and Planning

A media release from the city of Saint Paul:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 19, 2008

PRESS ADVISORY
Panel Discussion about Sober Houses in Saint Paul

WHAT: The Neighborhood & Current Planning Committee of the Planning Commission will host a panel discussion to gather public input on the recently released draft of the Saint Paul Sober House Zoning Study. The panel will include representatives of district councils, the sober house operator community, and sober house residents.

WHEN: 7:00 pm 8:30 pm Monday, March 3rd 2008

WHERE: Martin Luther King Recreation Center
271 Mackubin St .
St. Paul , MN 55102

To request a copy of the City staff Zoning Study or submit questions for the panel, please contact:

Luis Pereira, City of Saint Paul
651-266-6591
luis.pereira@ci.stpaul.mn.us

Mail: Sober House Panel Questions
Attn: Luis Pereira
25 4th St W
1100 City Hall Annex
St. Paul , MN 55102

According to an article in the [Mpls. Star[-Journal and] Tribune, Councilmember Stark has said, "Defining what a sober house is and who's responsible if a problem arises is important," This seems hard to argue with, not that anybody is trying to argue.

But the same article goes on to note that study advises against licensing sober houses or notifying neighbors.

I haven’t seen the report yet, but it seems to me that not recommending that neighbors and district councils be notified about proposed sober houses is a major disappointment. The city notifies district councils on a variety of other matters which seem less exciting, like a variance being requested to build a fence two inches too high or somebody wanting to put up newer, more energy-efficient windows in a historical district. The county even notifies them of applications for family foster care. Certainly allowing notice of the possibility of a house which would be the abode up to a dozen or so challenged people does not seem out of order.

I am not denying that sober houses are needed. I would suggest that spacing and saturation regulations are a good idea and I do believe that neighbor notification should be a must and further suggest that if done correctly should minimize possible future conflicts and misunderstandings between the houses and their neighbors.