Title
Consideration of Citizen Petition Related to Group Homes
Description
This report provides the City Council with information in response to a citizen petition submitted by the Take Action Phoenix (TAP) resident's group at the Nov. 1, 2017 Formal City Council meeting regarding group homes (Attachment A).
Report
Summary
The petitioners request the City Council to either place a 90-day moratorium, or hold, on approval of applications for new group homes in Phoenix or for the Council to accept a report from the City Manager that outlines a framework for a new comprehensive ordinance and a revision to the zoning ordinance to regulate group homes and a timeline for bringing proposals to the City Council for approval.
At the start of the Group Home Working Committee process, staff committed to formulating and presenting draft recommendations to the City Council by the end of 2017. As outlined in this report, staff is on track to meet this timeline. Staff from multiple city departments, including City Clerk, Neighborhood Services, Planning and Development, Law and several others, with significant input from a broad stakeholder working group, are working to finalize proposals for a comprehensive improvement package to address this issue. It includes group home license and operations standards in addition to a good neighbor policy. Planning and Development staff is also working to finalize amendment language to the zoning ordinance to update group home resident protections, definitions, parking standards, and reasonable accommodation provisions. In addition, staff is proposing to implement process improvements to enhance the existing reasonable accommodation process to ensure that public input can be gathered as part of the staff analysis of a reasonable accommodation request as part of the current process.
Due to statutorily mandated waiting/public notice periods, and a new enhanced public review process for zoning ordinance text amendment proposals, final City Council adoption will fall outside the 90-day period requested in the citizen petition. Staff proposes the following multi-step implementation framework to adopt a Group Home Comprehensive Improvement Package:
- Nov. 15, 2017: City Council receives staff report on the petition
- Nov. 20, 2017: Present Structured Sober Living Home draft license requirements to the Committee
- Nov. 30, 2017: Finalize Zoning and other recommended changes with the Committee
- Dec. 6, 2017: Present Group Home Improvement Package recommendations to City Council's Downtown, Aviation, Economy and Infrastructure (DAEI) Subcommittee
- Dec. 7, 2017: Request Planning Commission initiation of zoning ordinance text amendment modifications
- Dec. 13, 2017: Present Group Home Improvement Package recommendations to full City Council
- Dec. 2017: Review consultant locational analysis and mapping exercise with Committee
- December 2017/January 2018: Finalize language for Zoning and other recommended changes based upon mapping analysis and City Council direction
- January 2018: Broad stakeholder notice regarding proposed Structured Sober Living Home License regulations
- January 2018: Post proposed new license fee on City website pursuant to state law
- January/February 2018: Staff to present Zoning proposal to the 15 Village Planning Committees for consideration and action
- Feb. 7, 2018: Staff to provide an update to the DAEI Subcommittee
- February 2018: Gather stakeholder feedback on license process changes and finalize proposed ordinance
- March 1, 2018: Planning Commission to review Zoning Ordinance modifications
- March 7, 2018: DAEI Subcommittee to review Zoning Ordinance modifications
- March 21, 2018: Full City Council to consider and make a recommendation on the Group Home Comprehensive Improvement Package
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua and the Planning and Development Department.