Excelsior Springs schedules July hearing after resident raises concerns about 21 Dawn Avenue housing request

A public hearing on a reasonable-accommodation request for 21 Dawn Avenue was scheduled for July 22 after a resident raised concerns during public comment at the June 2 City Council meeting.

Resident Cody Montroy told the City Council he had heard the house was being “made into a halfway house,” and asked how that could have occurred without permits. Montroy added he had seen people working on the property and worried about safety for children on the street.

A city staff member answered that the property owner “has applied for special, reasonable accommodations for the population he would like to house in that house,” and said the council will hear the request at a public hearing on July 22. The staff member also said notice letters will be mailed to property owners within 185 feet of the site.

The city identified the proposed use as Oxford House, a long-standing model of sober-living residences. City staff clarified at the meeting that the use had not been permitted and that the July hearing is the formal next step under the city’s reasonable-accommodation process.

Why it matters: reasonable-accommodation requests can authorize housing that would otherwise conflict with local land‑use rules when the request is tied to a disability-related need. The hearing will be the formal process for neighbors to present concerns and for the council to consider whether the request meets federal and local criteria for accommodation.

What’s next: The council adopted Resolution No. 1577 to set the hearing date. Neighbors within the 185-foot notice area will receive mailed information from the city; the council will take public testimony at the July 22 hearing and decide whether to grant, deny, or modify the requested accommodation.