Group home debate continues this week

GAINESVILLE - The group home debate continues this week and again next week in Gainesville.

The City Council Tuesday night hears applications from Rickey Martin concerning property on Riverside Terrace and Hillcrest Avenue where city officials say he has been illegally operating group homes for men getting over substance abuse.

Then, a week later, the City Planning and Appeals Board is to consider Special Use requests from Harold Hinchman for three similar facilities - one on Northside Drive and two on Ivey Terrace.

On July 10, the planning board recommended denial of Martin's request to rezone the Riverside Terrace site but approved his Special Use request for the Hillcrest tract.

Homeowners strongly opposed both requests which Martin had operated illegally without the proper city permits or zoning since last September.

"Please look into creating an ordinance which would regulate transitional group homes and also conduct a special needs population assessment to determine the needs of the disabled in our city and then, plan for them," Gloria Melancon pleaded with the City Council a week later on July 17.

Melancon who lives on Ridgewood Avenue near the Hillcrest property, added she hoped Council would agree with the homeowners that residential areas cannot absorb these institutional style homes without creating an unfair burden on their quality of life and property values.

City Manager Bryan Shuler said at the time tht the City Marshall had sent out a dozen notices to illegal group homes in Gainesville, some of them in single-family neighborhoods.

Then, on July 19, Council reviewed options on how to deal with the question.

Mayor Pro Tem Myrtle Figueras said under city code it is up to Council to decide if a group home should be allowed as a special use in a multi family or (R-2) zoned area.

"Our code now gives us a place where they could exist; we also need to watch what we're doing and make sure they are placed in appropriate places," Figueras said.

Councilman Danny Dunagan said illegally located group homes should be required to vacate in residential areas.

Group homes are not allowed in (R-1) single-family residential areas; currently city code defines a group home as any place where more than three unrelated people reside together.