Athens planning commission forwards draft rules for recovery housing, asks law director to review

The Athens City Planning Commission on Feb. 4 reviewed proposed revisions to the city zoning code that would define and regulate residential care facilities and recovery housing, add spacing and parking controls, and require rental and use permits before the city acts on any special approvals. After a multi-hour discussion and public testimony, the commission voted to forward the draft to the law director for legal review before scheduling the item as a formal case.

The draft presented by staff member David Riggs would add or amend definitions in Title 23 and add recovery housing to Title 29 rental- and housing-permit provisions. Riggs told commissioners the draft aims to align local rules with state requirements while preserving life-safety and zoning controls: "We would treat recovery housing like other rental permits — they would need a rental permit, inspection and a use permit," he said. The proposal includes a 1,000-foot spacing limit between similar residential care or recovery facilities in certain zones, specific occupancy limits in R1 (no more than three unrelated persons), conditional permitting for facilities…