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Milwaukee zoning board adjourns contested adult-family-home case at 9707 W. Rochelle to allow applicant to amend state license
Summary
Neighbors objected to a new adult-family-home at 9707 W. Rochelle Ave., citing concentration of care facilities and safety concerns; the board adjourned the case to January and asked the applicant to work with the state to limit the licensed clientele to categories consistent with the applicant’s written plan of operation.
A contested application to operate an adult-family home at 9707 West Rochelle Avenue was adjourned Dec. 4 after neighbors raised concerns about a concentration of care facilities on the block and about the clientele listed on the facility’s state license.
Applicant Zelda Corona told the board the operation is intended to serve a small number (up to four) of developmentally disabled or otherwise vulnerable residents and that staff provide 24-hour oversight. DCD staff pointed out a mismatch: the state-issued license on file included a broader set of client types — notably ‘correctional’ clients — a category that changes how zoning rules apply. Neighbors and block captains said the immediate area already hosts multiple care-related facilities and expressed worries about traffic, turnover, and safety for seniors and families who live there.
Board members noted that federal disability law and state licensing can allow adult-family homes to be permitted as-of-right when they serve protected classes; the practical zoning consequence is that if the applicant’s state license is limited to protected clientele, BOZA may not need to act. For that reason, the board voted to adjourn the matter to the January hearing and instructed the applicant to work with state licensing officials to align the facility’s certificate with the written plan of operation.
The board also asked the applicant to hold neighborhood outreach and coordinate with the alderman’s office so neighbors can review the intended client types and staffing model. If the state removes correctional clientele from the license or otherwise aligns the certificate with the plan of operation, the applicant may not require a contested BOZA approval; if not, the board will hear the matter again in January.
Outcome: Case adjourned to the BOZA January calendar; applicant to seek revised state certification and to meet with neighbors and the aldermanic office.
