Andover City Council refers LifeSpring Recovery special‑use request back to planning commission after resident objections

The Andover City Council on Monday voted 5‑1 to return a special‑use application for LifeSpring Recovery of Andover to the Planning and Zoning Commission after residents and council members said they needed more information about neighborhood impacts, public notice and potential conditions.

LifeSpring, which proposes a residential substance‑use treatment program in the former Victoria Falls skilled‑nursing building at 224 East Central Avenue, was represented at the hearing by Jason Griever, executive director of LifeSpring Recovery, and consultants from Ascension Recovery Services. Griever said the facility is licensed by the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services to provide medically managed detox and inpatient treatment, is staffed around the clock by nurses and behavioral‑health technicians, and expects to operate typically with about 60–65 residents despite an 80‑bed license. “We screen all individuals who come into our services,” Griever said, adding the typical stay would be roughly 30 days and that visitors are screened and escorted.

Supporters from the applicant’s team emphasized accreditation and safety protocols. Morgan Hanson, senior director at Ascension Recovery Services, said the operator pursues Joint Commission standards and that, in other communities, facilities become quiet neighbors once protocols are in place. Nick Motu, speaking for the ownership group, described the investors as long‑term owners and said private‑pay and commercial insurance revenue underpins the project’s financial model.

But residents who live near the proposed site urged caution. Multiple speakers said they first learned about the facility only after planning‑level approvals and argued that notices sent to a 200‑foot radius were insufficient for an 80‑bed regional medical detox and treatment center sited near parks and three schools. “This is not a neighborhood counseling office,” Paul Wimmer, a former council member, said. Ben Elliott and other Crescent Lakes residents asked the council to require a six‑foot solid screening buffer, a written discharge policy that prevents patient releases on foot into the neighborhood, and regular reporting of EMS and police contacts. Joshua Alban, who spoke during the public hearing, urged the council to require evidence‑based findings under Kansas law before approving the use.

Council members pressed LifeSpring and staff on several points during the question‑and‑answer portion: whether the medical director would be local (Griever said the medical director is licensed in Kansas but not local), how often emergency services are called to comparable facilities (the applicant cited roughly three to four calls a month for similar programs), and whether the business could later shift to more Medicaid‑funded admissions (applicants said the market and payment rates make that unlikely in Kansas). Staff clarified that a previous special‑use approval from 2024 lapsed after the applicant did not obtain a certificate of occupancy within the one‑year window, so the owner restarted the process.

After extended public comment and bench discussion about notice, neighborhood character, buffers and enforceable permit conditions, Councilman Tim Berry moved to return the application to the Planning and Zoning Commission for additional analysis of neighborhood impacts, land‑use compatibility, screening/buffering options and public‑safety reports; Councilman Tim Brunson seconded. The motion passed 5‑1. The council’s action suspends final approval and asks the planning commission to report back with recommended conditions or findings.

Other items on the agenda moved forward: the council set the revenue‑neutral rate and budget hearing for Aug. 25, approved replacement servers for city and police systems, and approved a Cox Communications agreement that includes dark‑fiber to improve inter‑site connectivity.

The planning commission will reconsider the LifeSpring special‑use application and return its supplemental report and any recommended conditions to the council for a future decision.