Council approves second recovery home

Elise Gee

EAST SIDE -- Although a group home on Hamilton Street was approved

by the City Council Monday night, Yellowstone Women’s First Step House

walked away with only half a victory.

Their application for a conditional use permit was approved for seven

rather than 14 residents. The group home, at 154 E. Bay St., also will

have to comply with stricter conditions than originally approved at a

Planning Commission meeting in June.

The 5-0 vote left many of the supporters who packed the council

chambers Monday disappointed.

“We feel the city was unjust because they allowed us to make

concessions toward the conditions,” said Yellowstone board member Petr

Norman Walker. “We made concession and concession and concession, and

then they cut us in half.”

Yellowstone agreed to limit outdoor barbecues to once a month for two

hours, restrict Sunday meetings to 14 people inside the house,

discontinue publicizing open Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and appoint a

community member to its board of directors.

“I think this is really about balance and about quality of life for

everyone,” said Councilwoman Libby Cowan, who made the motion to restrict

the number of residents at the home to seven.

Cowan said that unlike Newport Harbor Recovery, which received

unanimous approval to operate a home for up to 14 people, Yellowstone is

surrounded by single-family homes.

Mayor Gary Monahan and Councilman Joe Erickson indicated that they

would support a higher number of residents for the home, but did not

pursue the matter when none of the other council members volunteered the

third vote they would need.

Cowan remained steadfast in keeping the number to seven, but said she

would consider revisiting the issue after a year.

Board members at Yellowstone haven’t decided whether to challenge the

council’s decision, Walker said.

More than 25 people spoke Monday, including residents who wanted more

restrictions placed on the home.

Diane Gomez, a resident near the home, said she didn’t want to see

Yellowstone shut down. She added that Yellowstone has been a good

neighbor for the last six months, but she was also grateful that the

council placed restrictions on the home, such as limiting the number of

outdoor barbecues the group could have.

Another resident, John Parks, moved into the neighborhood 45 days ago.

He said he was informed the home was there and didn’t have a problem with

it. However, since living in the neighborhood he has noticed that being

near Yellowstone has had its consequences.

Parks and Gomez were outnumbered by speakers who described how

Yellowstone has had a positive influence on their lives or those they

were trying to help.

Many of the speakers talked about the need for recovery facilities for

women.

Ann Louise Witty has sponsored recovering alcoholics and said that

Yellowstone provides a unique and free service for women in Orange

County.

“I don’t have anywhere else to take somebody when they have no other

place to go,” Witty said.