Title
Discussion of a text amendment to allow Personal Care Home facilities in residential zoning districts - Guidance
Body
Action Required:
Guidance
Description:
The City received a request to amend the Zoning Ordinance to allow existing residential homes to be used as Personal Care Homes for housing of four to six elderly people. Staff has attached the existing definitions and the allowable use chart from residential zoning districts. Current definitions and regulations do not allow the aging adult to stay in the home more than 24 hours per day. This request was received from Long Development Group, Inc.
The Committee requested that staff provide a proposed text amendment including a review of state law as it applies to definition of Personal Care Home facilities, consideration of locations, and appropriate number of potential residents.
State law regulates any "personal care home" defined as "any dwelling, whether used for profit or not, which undertakes through its ownership or management to provide or arrange for the provision of housing, food service, and one or more personal services for two or more adults who are not related to the owner or administrator by blood or marriage." O.C.G.A. ยง 31-7-12.
The Department of Human Services' interpretation of this statute provides an exception from the statute and regulations for boarding homes or rooming houses which provide no personal services other than lodging and meals. Rule 111-8-62.04 (Georgia Administrative Code).
Staff was requested to contact professionals in the elderly care industry to attend the June committee meeting.
The following businesses/agencies were contacted to attend the Committee meeting:
- Long Development (Candace Long) - out of town but provided information from other counties;
- Solutions for Seniors (Gale Horton);
- EnAble (Cec Camp); and
- Senior Services of North Fulton (Carrie Bellware)
To allow this use, the definition of family would need to be amended as well as a definition to allow for the person to stay in the home for more than 24 hours. Staff further requests guidance on the definition of Personal Care Home and the zoning districts that would permit this use. The number of persons allowed should be determined by the number of bedrooms in the home.
Comments: