Potential Group Home In Madison Encounters Hiccups In Getting Community Board’s Approval
Theresa Scavo, the Chairperson of Community Board 15, received a letter on October 3 from the Women’s League Community Residences (WLCR) regarding a group home that they intend to install at 1730 East 27 St.
She had to reach out to the group first after hearing rumors of the group home, Scavo said at the CB15 meeting last night.
The WLCR is working with the New York State Office of People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) to turn the home into a community residence for three developmentally disabled people. According to the WLCR letter to Scavo, the three people are from the local community.
The residents would attend a program at a sheltered workshop or school each day of the week. There will be staff on hand at the house 24 hours a day to supervise the house and the residents. There will also be recreational activities and programs planned for the evenings and weekends.
Scavo told the WLCR reps that they were required to notify everyone within a 200-foot radius of the residence and bring proof of that notification to the CB15 meeting, so the board can provide comments and inquiries. The two reps came to the meeting last night without proof of notification, so the board pushed the issue off to be discussed next month.
CB15 has three options when it comes to the group home, according to the letter sent to Scavo. They can either approve the home; suggest alternate sites for the home; or object to the home because it would result in an alteration of the nature and character of the neighborhood.
Under state law, according to the letter, “need or over concentration of residential facilities constitutes the only legitimate grounds upon which the community can object.”
Also, if the board doesn’t give a response within 40 days, the WLCR will proceed with the development of the facility.
So we won’t know what CB15 decides to do about the group home until the next meeting, in November, but be aware that it is on the docket.