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City Council Minutes January 22, 2019 Page 6 addition, the Elk River facility would be adding a layer of supervision by having a clinical director mentoring other clinical directors for 30% of the time. Mayor Dietz asked each councilmember to state how they would be voting and give a reason why. Councilmember Christianson pointed out Item 1 of the CUP "Will not endanger, injure or detrimentally affect the use and enjoyment of other property in the immediate vicinity or the public health, safety, morals, comfort, convenience or general welfare of the neighborhood or the city." He did not feel this section was met. Councilmember Westgaard thanked ResCare and residents for participating in the process. He does have concerns about what is going to happen at the facility, the level of safety, and the continuity with the neighborhood. He is unsure if this is the best location for a facility like this even though it is a permitted use in a residential zoning district. He reminded those in attendance the applicant had requested use of this site and it was not the city. In addition, just because it is zoned that way doesn't automatically mean it will be granted. The application, applicant, specific use, and location must also work. He warned people of jumping to worst case scenarios, there are already dangerous people in Elk River. ResCare is not a treatment institution but a step to reintroduce people back into the community. He doesn't see it as a threat to the neighborhood as much as creating its own internal turmoil. While no one denies this facility is needed, no one wants it in their backyard. However, the facts of the application meet the standard of the city code and, from a governance standpoint, the Council should accept it based on merits and what has happened and not what is imagined. Councilmember Ovall thought it was odd that there was very little comment during the Planning Commission meeting where the project was introduced. He has a difficult time with the location. In 2018, the current 17 group homes in Elk River averaged three calls per facility. In contrast, ResCare facilities in other cities seem to have a great deal more police calls and he doesn't see how it can't be disruptive to the neighborhood. He feels it would be better to locate it in a commercial or retail type setting. Currently, the proposed site is single family homes, people who may have lived there for a long time and are established. Putting it in a mull -tenant neighborhood might be better as there is more home turnover. He would like to look for evidence of fact for denial. Councilmember Wagner has asked herself if this is the right location but believes it is overstepping duties as a Council to tell a business whether or not they should be somewhere else. She appreciates the community feedback. Fear of the unknown can take us to scary scenarios but rather than considering the facility residents as "they" we should view them as humans needing these services. Instead, the Council should ask if it meets the criteria. Someday, we may need to use a facility like this. She is in favor of allowing it. 1 1 0 E A t Ie r ATTR