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City Council approves limits on number of people in reintegration centers

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The Fayetteville City Council on Thursday voted to rename new halfway houses as “community reintegration centers” while also limiting the number of residents who can live there at one time.

The number of residents depends on the center’s proximity to single-family and multifamily housing, according to information provided at the council's meeting Thursday at City Hall.

The changes were recommended as part of the city’s development ordinance.

No residents spoke during a public hearing on the proposed limits.

The council voted 8-2 to approve the changes, with Deno Hondros and Mario Benavente voting in opposition.

Those voting for the changes were Mayor Mitch Colvin, Mayor Pro Tem Johnny Dawkins and council members D.J. Haire, Courtney Banks-McLaughlin, Shakeyla Ingram, Derrick Thompson, Kathy Jensen and Brenda McNair.

A community reintegration center is defined as a secure facility that provides temporary housing and support services for people making a transition from an institutional or custodial setting or a place where residents receive supervision, rehabilitation and counseling to help them readjust to society and achieve independence.

According to agenda materials, a halfway house is defined as “a licensed home for juveniles or adult persons on release from more restrictive custodial confinement or initially placed in lieu of such more restrictive custodial confinement, wherein supervision, rehabilitation and counseling is provided to assist residents back into society, enabling them to live independently.”

The amendments say that a reintegration center must be roughly a half mile from a single-family residential district and 500 feet from a multifamily residential district.

If such centers are near a single-family district, the number of residents must not exceed 30. If it is near a multifamily district, the number of residents must not exceed 40.

The new limits do not apply to existing halfway houses or those already approved.

In other business, the City Council appropriated $1.75 million in state funding for the Lake Rim Park improvement project and the Reid Ross track improvement project.

The council also appropriated $75,000 for a dam safety program and another $65,000 in airport improvement grant funding.

The Spring Lake Recreation facility was granted $278,971

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Michael Futch covers Fayetteville and education for CityView. He can be reached at mfutch@cityviewnc.com.


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