Establishing Reasonable Accommodation Policies & Procedures in Zoning & Land use Decisions

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Z' SOUTH tr'.':.. J ?y Common Council City of South Bend Indiana 4" Floor County-City Building 227 West Jefferson Boulevard South Bend, Indiana 46601 (574) 235 -9321 (574) 235 -9173 Facsimile (574)235 -5567 TTY/TDD January 20, 2015 Members of the Common Council 4th Floor County -City Building, Room 455 South Bend, Indiana 46601 Re: Reasonable Accommodations Policies and Procedures in Zoning and Land Use Decisions Dear Council Members: We are pleased to introduce the attached Resolution which sets forth Reasonable Accommodations Policies and Procedures in Zoning and Land Use Decisions for the City of South Bend, Indiana. For the past several months, individuals and legal counsel from the Building Department, Law Department, Area Board of Zoning Appeals, Area Plan Commission and the Common Council have been meeting; and have been providing regular updates to representatives of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Throughout this process, much research has been conducted to elicit the best practices in the area of reasonable accommodation in relation to zoning and land use decisions. In addition to the relevant provisions of the federal Americans With Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Act, policies, forms and procedures from several communities were reviewed, discussed and debated. The attached proposed policies and procedures contain a detailed Table of Contents which provides references to definitions, policies, practices, as well as several attachments which include such items as an application form and standardized letters. This entire document has been reviewed by attorneys representing the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Area Board of Zoning Appeals, the Area Plan Commission, the Building Department, the Law Department and the Common Council.