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Council introduces sober‑living zoning ordinance adding school/park buffers and enforcement fines
Summary
Council introduced Ordinance 18 to amend Chapter 224 (zoning) to regulate sober-living facilities by adding parks and schools to required buffer zones and allowing fines for violations of state regulations; the ordinance was laid over for further review and a public hearing after zoning board review.
The Absecon City Council introduced Ordinance 18 on Oct. 3, 2024, proposing amendments to the city’s zoning code (Chapter 224) that would affect how sober‑living facilities are sited and enforced.
Council members said the principal changes are to (1) include parks and schools among locations from which sober‑living houses must be set back, and (2) permit fines tied to violations of applicable state regulations governing those facilities, such as staffing requirements. Council discussed a recent public comment at a prior meeting about on‑site staffing and said the amendment aims to give the municipality more enforcement tools for compliance with state rules.
Council voted to post and lay over the ordinance; a public hearing and second reading will be scheduled after the zoning board completes its review. The ordinance remains in the introduction stage and no final adoption occurred at the Oct. 3 meeting.
Next steps: the ordinance will be published and placed on a future agenda for second and final reading after zoning board review, at which time the public may comment again and council may vote to adopt.
