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ZBA grants variances to Jonah Foundation for 403 Maple to open sober-living house, with parking and privacy conditions
Summary
The board approved variances allowing Jonah Foundation to operate a supervised sober-living residence for 7–9 men at 403 Maple, granting relief from parking, one-acre lot size and setback requirements subject to conditions including a five-space parking allowance and a fence or planting buffer.
The Zoning Board of Appeals approved multiple variances requested by the Jonah Foundation for 403 Maple, allowing the organization to operate a supervised sober-living residence for men while imposing conditions to address neighbors’ concerns.
Amanda Hahn, Jonah Foundation executive director, told the board the organization seeks to operate a Christ-centered, peer-led sober-living residence for seven to nine men supervised by a live-in house manager and that the location’s walkability to probation, recovery services and the courthouse makes it a practical site. “We are seeking to use this property as a Christ centered sober living home for men,” Hahn said, adding the program will emphasize peer support, case-management linkages and twice-weekly community meetings.
Planning staff explained the property is a legal nonconforming three-unit rental with documented on-site parking for five vehicles; institutional standards in the ordinance (one acre lot size, 50-foot setback, hospital-scale parking ratios) make a standard approval impractical for a small, home-scale recovery house. Supporters — including correctional chaplains, probation staff and local housing and recovery professionals — told the board the proposal fills a local gap in reentry and recovery housing and is designed to reduce recidivism and support long-term recovery.
Opponents and nearby residents raised concerns about privacy, lack of a backyard or private outdoor space for seven to nine residents and possible changes to neighborhood character. Longtime neighbor Tom Zershmeid said the house sits close to the street with limited outdoor buffering and argued the location may not provide adequate private outdoor space for multiple residents.
The board discussed conditions to mitigate impacts — including a requirement that the applicant maintain the documented five on-site parking spaces, limit on-site visitor/guest hours consistent with staff guidance (visitors required off-site by 9 p.m.), and installation of either a 4-foot front fence or a landscaped buffer along Maple Street to provide privacy for neighbors. The motion to grant the variances with those conditions passed on a roll call with ayes recorded.
The variance approval does not substitute for possible further planning department or building-permit requirements. Staff noted the applicant may need to seek additional site improvements and to meet program-related licensing or accreditation standards separate from zoning approval.
