Planning commission denies conditional use for proposed youth group home near Rosa Parks Elementary

The Middletown Planning Commission on Oct. 8 denied a conditional-use permit for a proposed youth group home at a multibuilding property on the city’s South Side, voting 6-0 to reject the application.

The commission’s decision followed a public hearing in which the applicant, the police chief and commissioners debated whether the property’s location and scale would risk public-safety strain and undermine neighborhood revitalization efforts. The applicant said the operation would begin with one unit housing five youths and could grow to 16 residents, while maintaining 24-hour on-site supervision and state licensure steps.

Commissioners and the police chief said they were not opposed to the concept of a youth group home but concluded the specific site — within a few blocks of Rosa Parks Elementary School and near the river and local parks — was not a suitable location.

“...we’re trying to revitalize that the South Side Of Middletown. And is this conducive to revitalization? That’s ... I’m going to vote to deny,” Commissioner David Cash said before the vote.

Applicant’s description and licensing path

The applicant, identified in hearing testimony as Jonathan (last name not specified), said his organization operates two single-family group homes in Ohio (Dayton and Columbus) and is seeking to expand operations to the Middletown property under a new LLC, Behavioral Solutions LLC. He said the homes serve youths typically aged 13 to…