Council approves conditional use permit allowing Miller Home for Girls to operate eight‑person group home on Riverside Drive

Brian Tiller, president of the Miller Home Board of Directors, asked the council to let the organization continue its long history of serving girls in Lynchburg, saying the move to Riverside was intended to provide “a new vision of community” and a smaller, family‑style setting. “Please afford a Miller Home and our girls the same opportunity that we as a Lynchburg community would afford any family regardless of size,” he said.

The council granted the conditional use permit (CUP) 7–0 after a lengthy public hearing that included multiple supporters and a group of Riverside Drive residents who urged denial. Morgan Ryan, the Miller Home executive director, told council staff and neighbors that the home had taken steps to reduce neighborhood impacts, including a vehicle log showing “we never had more than 7 vehicles at a time, and our driveway can hold 8,” and reductions in interns and visitation practices.

Supporters included a former resident who described Miller Home as life‑changing; Justine Ayers told council the organization “gave me a foundation” and urged elected officials not to limit the home’s capacity. Past board leaders and volunteers also testified to the charity’s track record of care.

Residents of Riverside Drive said the location is a narrow, low‑density street ill‑suited to institutional activity and raised concerns about parking, neighborhood character, and zoning compliance. Carolyn Wicks, speaking for a group of neighbors, said the home had been operating without all required permits and that a neighborhood survey showed a majority of participating households opposed the CUP. Opponents argued the site lacks transit access and downtown wraparound services that research associates with better outcomes for youth in group care.

Council members discussed zoning ambiguities and the enforceability of ownership‑linked conditions; staff and the city attorney revised language so the CUP regulates the use rather than the owner. One council member pointed to adjustments Miller Home had made — including selling a large van — as evidence the organization had tried to address concerns.

The motion to approve the CUP was made from the dais and seconded; the council then voted to approve the resolution granting the CUP for up to eight individuals at 271 Riverside Drive, with the narrow use limitations discussed during the meeting. No amendments to the permit were recorded in the vote announcement.

Next steps: the CUP is adopted as written; staff and the city attorney will retain enforcement authority and the council added a closed‑session follow‑up item (to be discussed April 28) on related personnel concerns that emerged in public comment.

Speakers quoted: Brian Tiller (president, Miller Home Board of Directors); Morgan Ryan (executive director, Miller Home for Girls); Justine Ayers (former resident).