Certified recovery residences with up to eight people might soon be allowed in single-family Arlington neighborhoods.
With limited exceptions, the Arlington County Zoning Ordinance currently allows no more than four people to live in a single-family home unless they are “related by blood, marriage or adoption.” But a county staff report recommends changing county code to provide explicit support for recovery residences, which offer drug- and alcohol-free housing to people with substance abuse disorders.
“At present, the provisions of the Zoning Ordinance are silent on recovery residences,” the report says. “As such, they are not explicitly permitted. The closest cognate is group homes for persons with developmental disabilities.”
Staff propose allowing for recovery residences with up to eight people in every zoning district that permits one-family detached dwellings. The proposal would also create an option for a special-exception use permit allowing some recovery residences to exceed eight residents or occupy housing types such as duplexes or townhouses.
A request to advertise public hearings on a proposed amendment to the Arlington County Zoning Ordinance is scheduled to go before the Arlington County Board later today (Monday).
This proposal began with a request from Oxford House, Inc., which operates recovery residences for six to 15 people.
The nonprofit filed a reasonable accommodation request to found a residence with eight people in a single-family dwelling in Arlington — arguing that the county should treat the residence as a group home for “handicapped individuals.” County code allows for up to eight people to live in a single-family house if they have a mental illness, intellectual disability or developmental disability.
However, the county report says, Arlington’s Zoning Ordinance requires these types of households to be licensed by the Virginia Dept. of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, and to have one or more staff member on the premises. Recovery residences don’t typically meet these criteria.
“The lack of licensure and staffing effectively precludes recovery residences from being allowed as residential facilities for persons with developmental disabilities, as currently defined in the Zoning Ordinance,” the report says.
The proposed change “intends to allow and regulate recovery residences in a manner comparable to residential facilities for persons with developmental disabilities.” It would create a separate residential use standard for recovery residences.
Despite existing restrictions, an Oxford House directory lists six recovery homes in Arlington County with between seven and nine occupants each.
Photo via Google Maps
