MANCHESTER, N.H. – On Thursday night, the Manchester Planning Board took testimony regarding a site plan attached to a change of use that would transform a building from use as office space into a sober home.
Located at 603 Beech St., at the corner of Beech and Bridge streets, the proposed facility is located within the C-1 or “institutional” zoning district, where congregational housing uses such as sober homes are allowed under the city’s zoning ordinance, unlike several other requests regarding sober homes in other parts of the city that have come before the city’s land use boards.
The property also required a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals last week to maintain two parking spaces without a six-foot landscape buffer, a variance that was granted without much discussion.
The sober home, to be called Isaiah 61 House, is proposed as a 12-step based suboxone-free residence that will include 11 bedrooms for 20 men. No guests will be allowed at the facility.
In a presentation to the Planning Board, applicant Paul Coryea said that any residents would be required to submit to a minimum of two drug tests per week, required Alcoholic or Narcotics Anonymous meeting attendance, and that anyone found using drugs or alcohol while living in the home would be subject to a vote of the home’s current membership on whether they are allowed to stay in the home for initial offenses.
He added that anyone asked to leave the home would be given assistance in finding new housing and that there will be no set timeframe on the duration of residents’ time at the home given the unique paths to recovery that every individual faces.
Coryea added that he will seek certification from NH CORR, something he believes only four of the current approximate 20 sober homes in the city currently hold.
Planning Board Member Rob Curry expressed concern regarding a bible study to be held in the home every Wednesday, noting that any LGBTQ residents of the home may be made to feel uncomfortable by some who may not accept their sexuality. Coryea responded that discrimination will not be tolerated.
He also said he will only accept residents who arrive voluntarily.
“We have to believe that in order for people to get sober, they have to want to get sober,” he said.
Coryea also noted that he expects eventual managers living in the home to be recovered addicts, and he added that he expects to live in the home for the first six months of its operation.
Residents living near the proposed facility praised Coryea for initial work done to improve the property that did not need a permit, such as repainting the house. However, they also expressed concern regarding the density of comparable facilities in the area, the impact to traffic, the impact to property values nearby, and safety issues among other concerns.
Attorney Joseph Wickert, representing Coryea, said that the property would see less traffic than its previous use as office space since most of the residents do not have cars. He also noted since congregate housing is an allowed use in this zoning area, many of the concerns noted by the neighbors are not relevant to the site plan review process.
Coryea also added that he will add cameras to the facility and he felt safe living there even though he has been robbed in his building, he felt that there is a need for this type of facility in Manchester.
The Planning Board closed the public hearing on the property and is expected to render a decision on the application at their Sept. 16 meeting.