Athens planning commission to draft zoning, permitting rules after residents raise concerns about unlicensed recovery houses

ATHENS — The Athens City Planning Commission on Feb. 4 opened a broad discussion about where and how to allow recovery housing and residential health care facilities after residents reported safety and licensing problems at two properties.

Director David Riggs told commissioners the city’s zoning code lacks clear definitions for both “residential health care facilities” and “recovery housing,” and recommended using the Ohio Revised Code’s definitions as a starting point. He asked the commission for direction on which zones to permit recovery houses and whether to supplement state oversight with a local permit and inspections under Title 29.

The commission’s deliberations focused on two separate legal categories: state-licensed residential health care facilities (which Ohio law often preempts local zoning for) and recovery housing registered or certified under Ohio’s recovery housing rules. Riggs and staff noted three classes of residential…