Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council tables conditional-use request for sober‑living residence at 2793 Fernwood Road
Summary
After neighbor testimony and a legal review, the Biloxi City Council remanded a conditional‑use permit for a proposed sober‑living residence at 2793 Fernwood Road back to the planning commission so the city can add a clarified definition and hold a public hearing.
Biloxi — The City Council voted to table a resolution that would have granted a conditional‑use permit for a halfway house at 2793 Fernwood Road and sent the matter back to the planning commission for a text amendment clarifying definitions for 'halfway house' and sober‑living residences.
Jennifer Noble, a nearby resident who addressed the council during citizen comments, told members that the operator described residents as "finishing treatment at homes of grace, not individuals coming out of confinement," and argued the application appears to match the city’s social‑services agency definition rather than the current zoning definition for a halfway house. "The proposal does not match the city's current definition of a halfway house," she said, and urged the council to apply the ordinance as it stands.
City legal counsel recommended revising the municipal definition to add a category for sober‑living residences and to better distinguish custodial confinement from non‑custodial recovery programs. The attorney said the current wording referencing "custodial confinement" generally implies law‑enforcement supervision and could be read narrowly; staff and the applicant suggested a sober‑living category that would allow non‑custodial recovery residences with counseling and supervision but not require every resident to be under court supervision.
Council members voted to table the resolution and direct city staff to put the proposed definition change through the planning commission and a public hearing. The planning commission will advertise the amendment and take public testimony before forwarding a recommendation to the council.
What happens next: Planning staff will advertise the text amendment, hold a public hearing, and the council will consider the conditional‑use permit under the revised code language when and if the planning commission forwards a recommendation.
