Memorandum
City of Lawrence
Planning & Development Services
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TO: |
David L. Corliss, City Manager
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FROM: |
Joseph Rexwinkle, Planner II
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CC: |
Cynthia Boecker, Assistant City Manager Diane Stoddard, Assistant City Manager Scott McCullough, Planning and Development Services Director Sheila Stogsdill, Assistant Director of Planning & Development Services Margene Swarts, Assistant Director of Planning & Development Services Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Commission
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Date: |
October 9, 2008
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RE: |
Homeless Facilities & Services text amendments |
On August 12, 2008 the Lawrence City Commission remanded the above-referenced amendments to the Community Commission on Homelessness and the Planning Commission for further consideration. The Community Commission on Homelessness considered the amendments on September 9, 2008 and received considerable public comment as well as a staff memo that summarized public comment and provided options to the CCH.
At its meeting on September 22, 2008, the Planning Commission considered staff-recommended revised code language based upon CCH discussion and public comment and considered additional public input. The Planning Commission voted 6-3 to recommend approval of the revised language as recommended by staff to the City Commission with three specific modifications, as follows:
1) Permit Type A Homeless Shelters to operate a maximum of 15 nights per quarter.
The staff-recommended language had not set a limitation on the maximum number of nights. The Planning Commission recommends this restriction to limit the impact of these uses on surrounding property.
2) Require that management plans governing the operation of Type A Homeless Shelters be appealable directly to the City Commission.
The Planning Commission recommended that Type A Homeless Shelters be permitted as an accessory use to religious institutions with an administratively-approved permit and registration process. The registration process requires neighborhood notification and a neighborhood meeting prior to the permit being approved by the Planning Director. The ability of an aggrieved party to appeal the management plan directly to the City Commission is an incentive for the operator of the Type A Homeless Shelter to work with the surrounding neighbors to create a management plan that addresses their concerns.
3) Revise the definition of family as it is referenced in the definitions of Type A Homeless Shelter and Type A Homeless Day Center to state the following:
…are those that shall serve a maximum of 4 family units defined as 2 or more persons related by blood, marriage, or legal adoption with one such person being less than 18 years of age in the family unit or non-related persons otherwise living together as a family unit with at least one child less than 18 years of age.
The effect of the modification recommended by the Planning Commission is that Type A Homeless Shelters and Type A Homeless Day Centers would not be permitted to shelter or serve single persons or couples (married or unmarried) without children. The intent of the Planning Commission is to limit Type A Homeless Shelters and Type A Homeless Day Centers to serving only families with children, whether that family is headed by married, unmarried, or a single parent(s).
Proposed Language
Staff has provided revised Development Code language which reflects the modifications recommended by the Planning Commission. The document is titled “Homeless Facilities & Services Amendments, October 8, 2008 Draft”.