Washington council enacts ordinance adding petition requirement for shelters and other overnight residential uses

The Washington City Council on Monday adopted an ordinance enacting Chapter 6.55 of the city code that regulates special residential uses including shelters, halfway houses, social rehabilitation facilities and alcohol- or drug-treatment facilities and requires an applicant to submit a petition signed by 51% of property owners within a 500-foot radius before the use can be approved.

Supporters and volunteers for a volunteer-run weather-relief effort at Peace Lutheran Church urged the council to allow churches and community groups to provide emergency relief for people without housing; several neighbors said the church’s activity has created safety, nuisance, and property-value concerns in a residential area. Pastor Amy Appel said the church’s volunteers coordinated with Mercy Hospital and other local groups and that “if adequate services that do not include overnight accommodation in extreme…