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Residents raise safety and zoning concerns about Search for Change supportive‑housing application
Summary
Multiple residents urged trustees and staff to re‑examine an application from Search for Change, saying its proposed supportive‑housing model and site proximity to daycare and high‑traffic areas raise safety and zoning issues; staff said the building inspector will reconsider the denial and the planning board retains jurisdiction.
Several residents used the April 14 meeting’s public‑comment period to press the board and staff to reassess a multi‑property application by an organization identified in the record as Search for Change, arguing that the proposal would place vulnerable populations near daycare and downtown uses and that the village lacks a clear zoning category for supportive housing.
A resident who identified herself as the author of emails sent to village staff urged trustees to enforce zoning and not grant requested variances, calling the proposals deceptive and arguing that the application’s proximity to a daycare should have disqualified it. Another speaker, Sarah Soli of the Florence Street neighborhood, urged the board to adopt explicit supportive‑housing zoning that would, she said, limit group size, specify staffing and set proximity restrictions to schools and daycares.
Village staff reported the application is pending before the planning board and that the building inspector has indicated he will reconsider the denial and review whether the prior determination was in error. The board’s staff recommended that interested residents may have standing before the planning board and that the planning review process will consider zoning compliance.
No formal action on the underlying application took place at the board meeting; trustees directed staff to ensure the planning board receives complete materials and to follow the building inspector’s reconsideration process.
What happens next: the Search for Change application remains before the planning board for site plan and zoning review; residents who spoke were told they can appear at the planning board, and staff will notify interested parties of procedural updates.
