Battlefield Ministries has been denied again in its request to operate a sober living house for up to six individuals at a downtown Waconia residential property at 415 West First Street.
The decision followed earlier conversations this spring and questions from the city council about the plan, and an extended public hearing that began at the council’s June 3 meeting and carried into its regular session June 17.
While council members indicated the decision was about “policy not people,” most of the conversation at the hearing was from people in recovery from alcohol or substance abuse who talked about the benefits and controlled structure of the living arrangement, and people in the neighborhood who expressed concerns about having the facility nearby.
Battlefield Ministries is a non-profit organization that provides supportive housing for individuals recovering from alcohol/substance abuse and addiction. The Waconia location is believed to have been in operation since August or September of 2023 with up to six women living there, according to city officials. Carver County Human Services is involved in providing some rental/housing cost assistance for the individuals that meet a disability classification due to addiction.
Council members emphasized at the meeting that city regulations allow no more than three unrelated persons to live together in a single-family house in the residential zoning district. Also, that Carver County staff did not communicate with city staff regarding the situation or locating the sober home.
Battlefield Ministries has since applied for an application for accommodation of a group sober living setting under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and the federal Fair Housing Act. The ADA and FDA both recognize alcoholism and addiction as disabilities or handicaps, so if an individual or organization that provides housing to individuals with disabilities or handicaps – in this case Battlefield Ministries, demonstrates eligibility for an accommodation under either of these federal laws, the city’s zoning ordinance would be preempted.
Advocates including housing and recovery leaders and residents testified to their case at last Monday’s public hearing. They spoke to the benefits of a congregate or family style living arrangement to the recovery process to provide additional interaction and support, and having it in a downtown neighborhood close to services like The Haven treatment facility just a block away.
In response to neighbors’ concerns about safety, the home’s nearness to two elementary schools and disturbances at the property, Battlefield leaders and supporters pointed to the controlled structure of a sober living arrangement, that persons in recovery are not a threat, and that the neighborhood already is close to downtown bars where more police calls occur than at sober living facilities.
Discussion also focused on the financial feasibility of the sober home if occupancy is limited to fewer than five paying residents.
Some council members expressed concerns about house supervision, others about the process and feeling strong-armed to approve the living arrangement after the fact, and suggested there are alternatives that can be explored. In the end, the council was not convinced that the current accommodation is both reasonable and necessary for the amelioration of a disability, and directed city staff to prepare a denial resolution to the accommodation request to be considered at the July 1 council meeting.
If adopted, the city will resume enforcement action against the property to gain compliance with the zoning code.
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