The Columbus Board of Zoning Appeals will consider a request from applicant Brandon Nielsen to allow a shared housing facility for up to 17 individuals as a recovery house at 803 Pearl St.
The meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Columbus City Hall council chambers, 123 Washington St.
The request centers around a request to turn a multi-family home into a Level One recovery facility in an established residential area. Nielson, of Gemini Recovery, wishes to use the Pearl Street home as a recovery facility.
The home is currently suited for multiple families, so Nielson proposed that the three units would be split as eight people in Unit One, the on-site property manager alone in Unit Two and eight more tenants in Unit Three.
In the staff report from the City of Columbus-Bartholomew County Planning Department, planners note a point of contention exists about the parking situation for the rest of the neighborhood residents.
Nielson argues that most of the residents likely will not have their licenses or personal vehicles and will carpool or use public transit. He told city officials that street parking should not be overcrowded or congested.
Current neighborhood residents including Nathaniel Gootee told planning officials that the five off-street parking spaces will not be sufficient for the proposed facility. Gootee maintains that the potential addition of 17 cars will put the street parking in a deficit without considering visitors or emergency services.
The BZA acknowledged this concern, citing the potential congestion and overburdening of street parking as the main drawback for the proposed facility.
In his application, Nielson said that the house would be indistinguishable from any other house on the street with no extra signage or renovations.In order to live in the facility, residents must receive treatment through Gemini Recovery Center, seek employment opportunities, and follow strict orders of sobriety, curfew and quiet hours. Any infraction will result in dismissal from the facility, according to the application.
Nielson also said that a Level One recovery residence supports goals from the Columbus Comprehensive Plan:
- Housing Diversity & High-Quality Residential Environments
- Efficient Use of Existing Infrastructure
- Public Health, Safety and Welfare
- Consistency With Residential Character
