Planning commission backs two rezonings to allow sober-living residences, forwards both to common council

The Kokomo City Planning Commission on Tuesday recommended that the Kokomo Common Council approve two separate rezoning requests to allow sober‑living or recovery housing in different neighborhoods.

The commission voted to forward a rezoning request for 702 West Alto Road from C‑1 commercial to IS institutional to allow a halfway house and separately recommended rezoning 5414 West Park Avenue from C‑1 commercial to R‑4 urban residential; both recommendations will be presented to the Common Council for final action.

The institutional request for 702 West Alto was presented by Dan Metz, who said the plan is to use the existing structure as long‑term sober living for people in recovery from drugs and alcohol. "This is a gap in housing that already exists in Kokomo," Metz told the commission, adding the operator expects 20 to 25 residents and that managers and medical staff would provide on‑site oversight. Metz said live‑in managers would be required to have at least two years of sobriety and that an executive team and a medical director would provide supervision.

Staff noted the parcel at 702 West Alto sits in an area the city’s comprehensive plan labels as low‑density residential; the staff report also listed adjoining zone types and cited a traffic count of 5,514 cars per day for that section of West Alto Road. Despite those land‑use notes, staff recommended a favorable recommendation to the Common Council.

Neighbor Denver Sealy, who said he lives at 701 West Alto, told the commission he was concerned about a halfway house across the street where five of his six children live. "I have concerns about halfway house for people that are being remediated for long‑term drug use, if they're dwelling across the street from my house," Sealy said, and described prior incidents on the property that led him to worry about safety. Metz responded that the proposed facility would be supervised and that the group’s goal is to prevent the kinds of unsupervised activity Sealy described. County Commissioner Jack Dodd spoke in support of creating beds in the community, saying beds are needed to keep people off the street and in monitored housing.

The second rezoning, at 5414 West Park Avenue, was presented by property owner Dale T. Bliss. Bliss said he has had the property on the market and needs it rezoned to residential so a buyer can complete a planned conversion; he told the commission the property is under contract to a buyer who intends to use it as a recovery home. The staff report said the site is in the Floodway Fringe and noted that the prospective buyer understands that, if adopted, floodway‑fringe rules will restrict any future additions to the structure. Staff recommended the commission forward a favorable recommendation.

Both items passed the commission by voice vote. The record shows both recommendations will be presented to the Common Council by Councilman Greek hue for final consideration.

What the commission did not do was grant operating licenses or approvals for treatment programs; the actions were limited to recommending zoning classification changes. Any future steps that would alter building occupancy, utility connections or wastewater systems (including any required approval from the State Board of Health) would follow separate permitting and review processes.

Planning commission discussion and public comments reflected the common community tensions over recovery housing: proponents and service providers described beds and supervised group living as a way to reduce street homelessness and support sustained recovery, while nearby residents raised concerns about safety, sewer availability and property impacts. The commission’s favorable recommendations mean the items will now move to the Kokomo Common Council, which will hold a separate hearing and vote.