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<br />. Distance separations refer to zon-
<br />ing regulations that impose a separation
<br />between like uses such as homeless shel-
<br />ters or halfway houses. The purpose of
<br />distance separations is to the control the
<br />de~sjty or concentration of uses that may
<br />have negative impacts on neighborhoods.
<br />Green Bay, Wisconsin, uses separa-
<br />tion requirements for community-based
<br />residential facilities. No community-
<br />based residential facility may be estab-
<br />lished in Green Bay within 2,SOO feet
<br />of any other such facility except with a
<br />conditional use permit (!i13-1603.b).
<br />Rochester. New York, requires that
<br />homeless shelters obtain a special permit
<br />from the planning commission.A require-
<br />ment of the application submittal is the
<br />documentation of other facilities within
<br />a quarter mile of the proposed shelter
<br />(!i120-141.O), The city has had this require-
<br />ment in their code since the 1970S.
<br />Oklahoma City requires that its
<br />"planning department staff identify simi-
<br />lar uses within one mile of a proposed
<br />emergen~ shelter or feeding site facil- ,
<br />ity. Similar uses in this category include
<br />domestic violence shelters, other
<br />emergency shelters and feeding sites,
<br />forced detention or correction facilities,
<br />residential facilities for dependent and
<br />neglected children, residential facilities
<br />for drug or alcohol treatment centers,
<br />and transitional mental health residen-
<br />tial facilities (9S9-93S0,27.B).
<br />Detroit requires that no shelter be
<br />located closer that 3,000 radial feet from
<br />another shelter or closer than soo feet
<br />from an adult f()ster care facility, prer-
<br />elease adjustment center, or substance
<br />abuse service facility (!i61-12-89).
<br />. Regulations that limit the number
<br />of beds in a group living facility, the
<br />totalsquare footage ofa facility, or the
<br />amount of square footage required per
<br />person living in.a facility are size limita-
<br />tions. Building codes usually require a
<br />minimum square footage per individual
<br />residing in a residential structure. Some
<br />zoning codes require a much higher
<br />,square footage per person than the
<br />building codes, thereby limiting the
<br />number of persons that can be housed
<br />on a site: A review of.online zoning codes
<br />revealed thafseveral cities limit the size
<br />of certain types of social serVice facilities.
<br />AgQod neighbor plan refers to ad-
<br />ditional regulations that are required to
<br />ensure that the management of certain .
<br />types of uses consider the potential
<br />
<br />I.
<br />
<br />negative impacts on surrounding neighbor-
<br />hoods and develop strategies for mitigat-
<br />ing those impacts. Imposing reasonable
<br />requirements for adequate supervision for
<br />children,in group-living facilities does not
<br />. violate FHA. It would seem rea:;onable then,
<br />that requiring adequate supervision for any
<br />individuals that may not be able to respond
<br />to an emergency due to disability would
<br />also not violate FHA
<br />Oklahoma City requires that applica-
<br />tions for emergency shelters and feeding
<br />sites include a description of the type of
<br />program proposed, the number of partici-
<br />pants that would be in the program at one
<br />time, the number of staff that would be as-
<br />sQciated with the program and their general
<br />duties, the type of supervision that would
<br />be providedforthe participants in the pro-
<br />gram, and the means to mitigate any impact
<br />on surrounding land uses from the opera-
<br />tion of the program orthe behavtorofthe
<br />participants in the program (!iS9-93S0.27.A).
<br />Portland, Oregon, encourages pro-
<br />viders to locate in existing structures and
<br />work with the neighborhood. They require a
<br />written security plan that inhibits loitering,
<br />public drunkennesS, drug trafficking, and
<br />crim'inal activity. The provider is to keep the
<br />. area within 200 feet of the shelter free from
<br />litter and graffiti (!i33.28S).
<br />Some communities have enacted
<br />. .
<br />licensing regulations to ensure safe and
<br />healthy facilities, compatibility with sur-
<br />rounding neighborho()ds, and to discourage
<br />the inordinate concentration of facilities in
<br />neighborhoods.
<br />Detroit adopted the Homeless Shelter
<br />Licensing ordinance in 1995 to ensure that.
<br />whenever children, women, and men become
<br />hom,eless they will have decent, safe, and
<br />healthy refuge. The standards put into place
<br />include 24-hour access for shelter residents
<br />for rE!strooms and medications, adequate
<br />staff.to-resident ratios, sheets changed on a
<br />weekly basis, assurance of school attendance
<br />for minors, fire safety regulations, and nutri-
<br />tious meals (Ordinance No. 7-9S).
<br />Phillipsburg, New Jersey, requires that
<br />homeless shelters obtain a $70<> license
<br />annually. Standards for denial of a license
<br />include the nature and development of the
<br />surrounding property; proximity of churches,
<br />schools, and public buildings; the effect on .
<br />traffic; the number of other similar entitieS;
<br />and suitability of the applicant to establish,
<br />maintain, and operate a homeless shelter
<br />(9347-S) .
<br />A few local governments have enacted
<br />regullations that tie the number of permitted
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<br />ZONINGPRACTICE 1.10
<br />AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION lpage 6
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