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Neighbors tell Riverton council outpatient rehab in residential area has created safety and notice concerns
Summary
Multiple residents told the council an outpatient rehab converted a home to 16 beds without adequate notification; commenters cited traffic, lack of on-site security and neighborhood safety risks, and asked the city to enforce the four-person limit or relocate such facilities to commercial areas.
At Riverton's public comment period, several residents described safety and notice concerns after an outpatient rehabilitation provider opened in a residential neighborhood and, they say, began operating with far more occupants than the city's code contemplates.
Greg Stone, a retired police officer, told the council he attended the provider's open house and "saw 16 beds available." Stone said the home housed mixed genders, lacked 24/7 staff or cameras and that residents have already observed increased traffic and discarded drug paraphernalia. "This is a crime of opportunity," he said, adding his experience as a longtime law-enforcement officer informed his concern.
Bryce Craig said neighbors received no advance notice that a business was converting a home for outpatient rehab. Craig described interior building work to add bedrooms and observed as many as 15 cars parked around the corner, which he said creates safety risks for children on the street. Joe Griffin urged the council to consider steering such businesses to commercial zones where higher occupancy and parking would be more appropriate.
City staff and councilors responded that the city is updating administrative processes for business licenses used to track these facilities, and that a reasonable-accommodation process exists when applicants seek to exceed the four-unrelated-person limit. Staff said enforcement is an administrative function and offered to follow up with residents through the city recorder. Several council members said they want clearer public accounting and stronger enforcement going forward.
What's next: staff will follow up with residents and the city recorder, and the council has adopted a fee schedule amendment (Resolution 25-51) that creates a deposit mechanism to cover hearing-officer costs for reasonable-accommodation requests.
