Polk County approves rezoning for Center for Hope recovery facility near Erskine school

Polk County commissioners voted to rezone a 5.69-acre parcel formerly occupied by Pioneer Memorial Care to the county's commercial district to allow the Center for Hope to operate a residential substance use and behavioral health treatment facility there.

The property, located along U.S. Highway 2 and U.S. 59 northbound exit near Erskine, contains a roughly 50,000-square-foot building and connects to the City of Erskine municipal sewer and water systems. Planning staff and the applicant said the site's size and infrastructure make it suitable for a residential treatment program and related job-restoration services.

County planning staff told commissioners the requested land-use change aligns with Polk County's comprehensive plan because medical and clinic uses are permitted in the commercial zoning district and because surrounding parcels already contain commercial uses. Staff recommended approval with a condition that the operator submit a detailed operational plan and that the business conduct background checks to avoid admitting people with violent or sex-offense histories, citing the facility's proximity to Winnie Mack School about 1,200 feet north of the site.

Applicant Jay Kochenauer, who identified himself as a managing partner for the Center for Hope, described plans for a residential program meant to serve a treatment gap in the region and said the facility would aim to connect clients to employment and local training opportunities. He said the program would primarily rely on private insurance and Medicaid where applicable and that the center was not intended as a locked or correctional facility. Kochenauer said he and a business partner operate a similar facility in Bemidji and emphasized a preference for community-based services introduced near clients' home communities.

Commissioners and others raised questions about screening, proximity to the school, and whether the county should attach conditions beyond a standard rezoning. Planning staff explained that rezoning itself is not a conditional zoning action; changing the allowed zone alters the property's underlying designation. The staff-set condition requires a detailed operational plan and background-check policy; if future programming changed in ways that no longer fit the commercial district, additional approvals or a conditional-use process could be required.

The board moved and seconded approval of the rezoning. The motion carried with one commissioner opposing. The county recorded the rezoning as a final action; staff indicated the property's recorded status will reflect the change and that any sale or change of operator would be subject to review if the future use no longer aligned with the zoning.

Commissioners and staff said they expect the operator to return with operational details and licensing requirements as required by the county as the business proceeds toward licensing and program start-up.

The rezoning vote updates the zoning map for a building that has been vacant since operations ceased in late 2024 and signals county support for repurposing large institutional buildings in commercial districts when surrounding uses and infrastructure support that change.