We are the neighbors adjacent and behind the Search for Change proposal on Mt Pleasant Avenue.  We are a diverse and compassionate group of people. Many of us work in healthcare professions.  We have a heart for helping others. We think the Search for Change mission is important and we are greatly appreciative of their three group homes in our community.

Despite our backgrounds and their mission, we do not believe this is the right land parcel and location for the needs and scope of this proposal.  

1. We believe this proposal does not meet the qualifications for the kind of affordable housing the village intended.  

2. We believe this application tries to use codes meant for one kind of housing to try to get approval for another to increase their size.  (6 stories in a 4 story area)

3. We are a residential neighborhood of single family homes.  We don’t believe a 6 story supportive housing facility belongs backed up to our family yards with their parking lot, lighting and break area overlooking the back of our homes.

4.  They need to remove 33+ trees from a protected area.  The counseling center behind them is a historic building.  The trees are 100+ years old and we will lose the character of our community.  

5.  The streets by us are nearly impossible to navigate.  Our community is 9x more dangerous for traffic than NYC.  It’s deadly and devastating already.  We have one road in and out of our area. 

6. This proposal is a social experiment.  The company typically places 8-10 residents with complex needs in rental homes (3 of which are in our community).  They have never built, managed or run a project like this.  This proposal is for 63 units. As health professionals, we have concerns about ratios of tenants and meeting their needs.  

7. We have safety concerns about parking.  They need a variance because they are proposing for half the required spaces.  The current parking does not even fit standard vehicles.  Where will essential medical staff park?  How about the tenants? The streets are full and there is no parking before these proposals are added.  We can't navigate streets with blocked sight lines.

8. The homes and stores flood, adjacent and behind this proposal.  We have serious safety and community concerns about the scope and environmental impact on the adjacent area. 

9. The community is a residential village.  There is a daycare about 1000 feet from the property.  There are young children in many of the homes adjacent to this proposal.  The community walks down Mt Pleasant to the train and elementary schools.  We believe this kind of proposal needs a larger lot and campus set back from the main road in town. 

We are calling for the Planning/Zoning/Land Use Boards to seriously consider the impacts a facility at this scale would have on the environment and residential neighborhood in its vicinity!

Please donate to our legal fund!

https://www.gofundme.com/f/protect-our-community-legal-fund-needed