Neighbors are taking action against a Scottsdale halfway house that, based on city actions, may be violating a zoning ordinance.
“The concern is that the more we have group facilities in [the neighborhood] the less it’s going to be children for my kids to grow up with or neighbors to borrow butter from,” said Meghan Liggett. Liggett recently purchased a home on 64th Street near Shea. Not long after, she says, Alliance Sober Living Homes started using the property next door – where up to nine men are living at any given time.
“It is happening everywhere and we need to be able to have specific rules, specific guidelines to enforce,” Liggett said. She's now created an online petition to put pressure on the city to act.
After Liggett spoke with Scottsdale officials they issued a violation against the property, claiming it violates an ordinance stating any “adult care home” must be at least 500 feet away from another. Measurements using the Maricopa County Assessor’s website show the halfway house is approximately 420 feet away from an assisted living facility on 66th Street.
Attorneys for Alliance Sober Living sent a letter to the city, arguing the home does not qualify as an “adult care home” and, under the Federal Fair Housing Act, should be treated like any regular family home.
Steve Polin, who represents Alliance, told ABC15 he believes the city is attempting to “pigeon-hole” the facility into a category it doesn’t belong in.
A city spokesman says they are reviewing the issue and deciding how to move forward. Scottsdale is considering a change that would specifically address sober living homes and require them to register.
