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Board approves Dakota Counseling plan to convert motel at 1000 West Havens into 20-unit sober-living facility
Summary
The board approved a plan to change the use of a motel at 1000 West Havens to a supportive sober-living facility operated by Dakota Counseling Institute; the facility will provide roughly 20 short-term units with staff on site 24/7 and includes code changes such as firewall separations reviewed by a building official.
An unnamed municipal board approved a plan to convert a motel at 1000 West Havens into a roughly 20-unit sober-living supportive residence operated by Dakota Counseling Institute. The board voted to carry the motion after staff and the applicant described the change of use and code review steps.
Mark, a staff member, told the board that because the property is in the Highway Oriented Business District, building permits and plan approvals come to this body. He said the site is currently a hotel/motel and that the proposed use—described by staff as “personal health services” or supportive living—constitutes a change of use. Staff said Larry Jurza reviewed the plans and recommended firewall separations and other code work because the structure still contains dwelling units.
Michelle Carpenter of Dakota Counseling Institute described the operator’s plans: “Basically, we purchased this property, the August. Our first and foremost intent with this is to provide 20 units of sober living. It is not going to be something that people are gonna wanna live in for years and years, but we have so many folks that need that short term kind of transitional living.” Carpenter said the facility would provide short-term transitional housing for people stepping down from residential treatment or those who are doubled up and need temporary stable housing while completing housing applications. She also said the organization runs a pilot project with United Judicial Services to teach life skills to emerging adults and that staff would be on site 24 hours a day.
Board discussion included a question about property boundaries and an undeveloped alley behind the site; staff said encroachment would have appeared in closing documents and that mapped lines could be shifted if needed. A motion and second to approve the plan were recorded; the board approved the plan on a voice vote. The transcript records the action as “Motion carried.”
No members of the public addressed the item during the meeting.
