Council reintroduces ordinance tightening neighborhood notices for sober-living homes

Absecon City Council voted to reintroduce an amendment to the city's zoning code aimed at clarifying regulation of sober-living homes and requiring specific neighbor-notification timeframes.

Council members said the Planning Board recommended the addition of deadlines for when notices to adjacent property owners must be provided; officials characterized that as a substantive change and reintroduced Ordinance 18-202 so the public would have another opportunity to review the revised language. The ordinance will be posted and laid over for a public hearing and second and final reading on Dec. 5, 2024.

The measure was introduced during the council's meeting in which members discussed prior planning-board feedback and the need for clearer timelines for notifications; no public comments were made during the introduction. The council's action at the meeting was to place the ordinance on the next agenda for formal hearing and final action, not to adopt it at that session.

Why it matters: zoning language that governs group residential uses can affect neighbors' notice and expectations about occupancy, city permitting processes and enforcement. The scheduled public hearing will give residents an opportunity to comment on the exact notification periods and other substantive changes before a final vote.