09-28-09 Common Council Meeting Agenda & Packet

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y _ .~ ~, ~- PEDRO, VEROl®TICA AlelD LASH0101 GURROLA ~' ,{ The petition of Pedro, Veronica and Lashon Gurrola seeking a Special Exception for a Group Home in a "SF1"District, on property located at 1434 Garland Circle, Portage Township. Zoned "SF1". This was tabled from the August ABZA meeting. MR. MIKE DANCH: Danch, Harner & Associates, 1643 Commerce Drive, South Bend representing the petitioners, Pedro, Veronica and Lashon~Gurrola. What we're asking for, this is a little different than the variances that Mr. Fedder had mentioned, we're requesting the approval of a Special Exception to allow for a group home at 1434 Garland Circle in South Bend, Indiana. Presently the property is zoned "SFl" which is single family and two family zoning family classification. Under the City's guidelines the proposed group home is a permitted use but as a Special Exception under that particular category. The site itself, the home sits on a cul-de-sac lot. It contains approximately 0.60 acres of property. The house is two stories with six bedrooms and five bathrooms and has an approximate living area of 4,000 square feet and it also has a three stall garage. Those are kind of reflective in the site plan that we gave the Board members for their review. The Gurrola's desire to have their group home which would allow for a maximum of eight girls to reside at the residence. The ages for the girls that would be at this particular group home go from ten years old to eighteen years old. The group home would be licensed by the State of Indiana. The Hope House organization, which I gave you a handout that shows the members of the Hope House organization, who they are, the officers and kind of what they do. And which Lashon Gurrola is a Board member. She's actually a Vice President of the Hope House operation. Lashon is also a registered nurse. She's licensed in Indiana and also in Illinois. She has seven years experience with group homes. And what we would like to be able to do is the girls that would be at this particular group home primarily are going to be from St. Joe or Elkhart County and they will be in the custody of the State of Indiana. The girls are from homes which basically have been determined by the State that the girls are either at risk from either parents or guardians that have created an unsuitable environment for the girls due to either child neglect or abuse situations and the State have removed the girls -from those particular homes for their safety and well being. At the group home the girls will be supervised by Ruth Brimmer and her husband John Newell. They will be the house parents for this particular group home. . Ruth and John basically will be with the girls on a 24 hour basis at this home. Ruth has five years experience with working group homes and her husband is a retired Cook County police officer and he also has experience working with young girls and boys. The girls that would be at this particular group home would go through an admissions screening process through the Hope House organization. And that determines whether the girls would be suitable for this particular home. They would only be accepted if they do not have any kind of gang affiliations and this is the kind of things I put in the petition. Any kind of emotional issues that would require ,{--t~,i ~ 11 ..~ Li` ~/-A_. ~J~fi. - ~ .~ E ~ ~ F~aS ~ , ~ -,~. "-. ~f ~` ?R ~:r r ~c' 4.` ~. ~.J ~ ~' -