COUNCILMEMBER Natalie Moser (OC Tribune photo).
By Daniella Moreau/Orange County Tribune
An appeal of the planning commission’s denial for an administrative permit to provide accommodation for a sober living home was denied by the Huntington Beach City Council at the Tuesday night meeting.
The city council unanimously voted to deny the appeal.
The permit application requested reasonable accommodation for the operator of a sober living home on a property located within 1,000 linear feet of another group home or state-licensed residential care facility. In a public hearing on July 11, 2023, the planning commission unanimously voted to deny the application.
The property owner and the sober living home operator appealed the action, claiming that the measure violates state and federal laws, including the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The staff provided sufficient evidence to recommend findings for the denial of the reasonable accommodation request.
The motion failed in a vote of 3-4, with council members Natalie Moser, Dan Kalmick, and Rhonda Bolton in favor. Mayor Tony Strickland, Mayor Pro Tem Gracey Van Der Mark, and Councilmembers Pat Burns and Casey McKeon abstained.
Councilmember Burns expressed main concern about the costs.
“There are so many infrastructure nightmares and costly things to do to accommodate these things. It’s impractical,” said Burns.
Moser requested the council to consider the item.
“We are doing a disservice to our community if we do not demonstrate the leadership purely because we think there are costs that are too much when we really have no idea what they really are,” said Moser.
The next council meeting is scheduled for Dec. 5 in its council chambers at 2000 Main St. (at Yorktown Avenue).