This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
At the Longmont City Council Meeting On November 14th, A amendment to existing zoning was requested to allow a new residential child care facility that is consistent with state requirements to house teenage boys with substance abuse disorders in a 24/7 group living and treatment location in Longmont.
The company, Kokua Recovery, a division of Family Help & Wellness, is proposing the facility and already has similar operations in Utah, Arizona, Idaho and North Carolina.
Participation is voluntary, arranged with parents or caregivers and will last an average of 3-6 months with therapy and an academic school-based curriculum approved by the State of Colorado.
The program itself is very structured and the children are never left unsupervised.
According to Brien Schumacher, Principal Planner with the City of Longmont, "The city's land development code doesn't have a good definition or use category for this type of group license. As a result, the current code needs to be updated from the last update (in 2001) to match the State of Colorado requirements in this area and to ensure it works within the Envision Longmont plan."
Kokua Recovery is asking the council to allow an amendment to the existing code so they can proceed with their application to the state that would allow them to move forward with their application.
Dr. Ken Huey is the named director of the facility.
Councilmember Peck asked, "Has the company had purchased land already?" Schumacher responded that "they were leasing an existing facility in the southwest part of town in a business and light industrial zoned area."
The City Council approved moving forward with drafting the amendment for a second review at a later date.
City Council Communication Document:
