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Brookings council denies two Oxford House requests to exceed occupancy limits after heated hearings
Summary
After lengthy testimony from Oxford House staff, residents and neighbors, Brookings City Council voted to deny reasonable‑accommodation requests for 312 Eighth Avenue (requested 7 occupants) and 908 First Street (requested one additional occupant per unit). Council cited insufficient evidence of necessity and neighborhood impacts.
Brookings City Council denied two requests from Oxford House on Oct. 22 seeking exemptions from the city’s ordinance limiting unrelated occupants in single‑family homes.
The first hearing concerned 312 Eighth Avenue, where Oxford House asked the council to waive the city’s occupancy restriction so the home could house seven people. Oxford House representatives—including regional manager Leif Plobe and outreach worker Devin Coates—testified that the group‑run, self‑supported houses promote long‑term recovery by providing peer support, weekly house meetings, shared financial responsibility and connections to community partners such as Behavioral Health and the Salvation Army. A resident, Cameron Lara, described the house as life changing.
Neighbors and local homeowners countered that the property had been operating without a rental license and that the turnover and comings and goings of residents had caused parking, traffic and safety concerns. Several neighbors said they had observed dozens of people cycle through the house over months, illegal alley parking and disruptive behavior. Attorney Tim Hogan, representing neighbors, argued Oxford House had not met the legal burden to prove the accommodation request was both reasonable and necessary under applicable fair‑housing standards.
City staff told the council that an April 2024 rental inspection found life‑safety issues that were subsequently addressed and that the property is on a nonconforming 5,000‑square‑foot lot in an R‑2 zoning district, where the normal lot requirement is 7,500 square feet. The city attorney and council members asked Oxford House to produce studies or documentation tying a specific occupancy number to an indispensable therapeutic need; Oxford House experts referenced the organization’s long history and group‑therapy literature but did not present a definitive study at the hearing.
Following public comment and council questions, Councilmember Wendell moved to disapprove the accommodation request for 312 Eighth Avenue. After deliberation—during which council members praised Oxford House’s mission but said the application lacked evidence that a waiver was necessary for equal access—the motion carried on a roll‑call vote.
The council then considered a second accommodation request for 908 First Street, a property licensed as a two‑family dwelling for up to six occupants. Oxford House requested one additional resident per unit (bringing the total to eight across the building). Neighbors again cited concerns about proximity to college rental properties and prior police calls; some neighbors also said the property had recently passed city inspections. The council moved to deny the request and approved that motion by roll call.
After the votes the city attorney noted staff retains authority to inspect properties to verify compliance with any council decision.
The council’s denials leave Oxford House operating within existing occupancy limits while the organization and property owners may pursue other properties or further documentation if they seek future accommodations. The council also signaled that while it supports recovery housing programs, flexibility must be balanced with zoning, safety inspections and evidence of a narrowly tailored need.
