Charis Eating Disorder Care seeks to add adolescent house, increase beds in Nassau County pre-application review

Charis Eating Disorder Care outlined plans April 29 to expand its residential treatment and add an adolescent house, telling Nassau County's Development Review Committee the organization would move from six residential patients toward a licensed 12-bed capacity and add a partial hospitalization program and an eight-bed teenage treatment house.

The proposal was presented by Amy Shields, founder and chief executive officer of Charis Eating Disorder Care (formerly Bring Your Brokenness). "We have been functioning as a group home for the last 3 years," Shields told the committee, and she said the program currently serves six residential patients with a waiting list of "between 20 and 30." Shields said the expansion would raise the facility's licensed capacity to 12 (usually operating with 11), add one emergency transfer bed and provide up to eight partial-hospitalization slots and an eight-bed adolescent home called Harris Cove.

County staff used the pre-application meeting to list requirements and potential constraints. Constance Lake of the Building Department told Shields the northern property appears to fall in FEMA special flood hazard area "AE 9" on the map panel the department reviewed and that plans should show flood-hazard boundaries. "You would just want to show on your plans the flood hazard information and delineate the boundaries," Lake said.

Tim Davidson of Development Services reviewed engineering and development standards that will apply to any submittal. He said sidewalks are required along the frontage for new DRC developments (Appendix D, roadway and drainage standards, Section 11 7 1) and that internal sidewalks for connectivity are also required. Davidson said stormwater calculations, geotechnical evaluation and paved parking surfaces are required (stormwater: Article 10; parking: Section 9.9 0.1) and noted that a traffic-impact analysis will be required under BOCC resolution "20 19 1 74" and that applicants should contact the county traffic engineer, Andrew Avant, to determine criteria.

County and state health staff flagged permitting and septic questions. Ryan from the Health Department said the agency is a state office and requires its own application and fees and that the applicant would need a limited-use permit for water and an existing-septic permit to verify capacity. Ryan added that depending on the final size and services, Charis may need a group-care facility permit and recommended early contact so the department can advise.

Fire Inspector Thomas Ford told Shields the site will need an approved turnaround if fire-department access exceeds 50 feet, that any added gates must have a Knox key switch (if electric) or Knox padlock (if manual), and that a fire hydrant is required within 400 feet of the closest building point with spacing no more than 500 feet. Ford also said buildings used for board-and-care or lodging must be equipped with fire sprinklers and fire alarms and that further comments will come during site-plan and building-construction review.

Planning staff advised that if Charis purchases the adjacent property behind its current site, an additional conditional-use permit will be required. The planner noted a 10-foot perimeter landscape buffer is required along the eastern property line when new development occurs; existing heavy tree cover may satisfy that requirement but any gaps should be filled. The planner also said at least one ADA parking space nearest the buildings with a connection to the building will be required.

Shields described operational plans: partial-hospitalization programming would meet at "Cara's Place," with an upstairs apartment used overnight by attendees ("their apartment will be upstairs, and that will be just patients") and daytime programming on the first floor. She said the adolescent house would include a commercial kitchen and full-time dietary staff to serve both houses. Shields said the organization holds a corporate lease now and that bringing the partial-hospitalization apartment onto the property would replace that arrangement.

Staff emphasized phasing and permitting steps. Planning and development staff said the project can be phased and recommended Shields connect early with building-plan review, the county's permit office, the traffic engineer and health department to confirm septic capacity, accessibility requirements and whether residential construction materials or layouts impose special restrictions for a licensed group-care facility. Davidson also noted construction-inspection fees and that DRC approval is required prior to commencement of construction per "6.2 0.1."

Shields said county approval of an earlier conditional-use application for the current site had gone "pretty smoothly," and that she and her team are already starting permitted work on an office and storage garage area. No formal action or vote was taken at the pre-application meeting; staff instructed the applicant on the technical submissions and permits they must file before construction or a formal site-plan review.

The committee closed the Charis discussion after staff offered contact information for building-plan review and advised Shields to start file and permit applications (septic, limited-use, building) early. Shields said she will proceed with design and fundraising for the adolescent house while moving forward on required permits and upgrades for the existing residential facility.

Less substantive agenda items: the committee noted the applicant for a separate dune-walkover/sand-fencing item was not present and will be rescheduled.