Teens Group Home on Madge Avenue Given OK By Planning and Zoning, Board of Adjustment

Wednesday night, Boys’ Hope Girls’ Hope came in front of two Brentwood boards, and was given two very positive votes to proceed on to the board of aldermen. Two pieces of property on Madge Avenue would require a zoning variance for the project to continue.
Boys’ Hope Girls’ Hope wants to build housing for middle school and high school children, plus an office on Madge Avenue. The group started the process with a meeting for nearby residents at St. Mary Magdalen on March 18, where they met resistance as well as support.
Wednesday, the vote was unanimous in planning and zoning to recommend to the board of aldermen to approve the rezoning, the conditional use permit and the site development plan.
Later in the evening, the planning and zoning commission, with a 4-1 vote, recommended rezoning and approving the requested conditional use permit.
Brentwood City Planner Ellen Rotjakob said a subcommittee of planning and zoning met twice to discuss the project before the final vote.
Boys’ Hope Girls’ Hope Executive Director Brian Hipp said he was impressed with planning and zoning’s detailed process, “their professionalism, and also their sincere attempt to respond to the concerns that were expressed, particularly of the neighbors on Madge.”
Hipp said it’s his understanding the heavily favorable decisions by the commissions should be weighed heavily by the aldermen when they make their decision.
He said if it passes at the July 15 board of aldermen meeting, the group will close on 8817 and 8815 Madge Avenue properties within 30 days. They don’t anticipate beginning construction until early spring of 2014.
Carson Mann, who lives across Madge Avenue from the site, said he’s not surprised the variances were granted.
“I think the board of aldermen is going to approve it with little or no concern with what the residents think,” he said.
Mann has lived on Madge almost 40 years. He lives next door to the house he grew up in.
“Old people, younger people, traditional families, divergent viewpoints, politically, socially; we all seem to agree it’s a bad idea,” Mann said. “Traffic is already a difficult situation, and to add 20 kids and an administrative buildings, it’s not going to work out, to be perfectly honest.”
He thinks the neighbors will be neighborly to the new residents, if it goes that way.
“We’re decent enough neighbors to each other, so we’ll be decent neighbors to them too, I’m sure,” he said. “But it doesn’t seem like they’re being fair about it.”
Also in the meeting, City Planner Ellen Rotjakob and Planning and Zoning Chairman Chairman John Geppert both announced their resignations.
Rotjakob said on Thursday she's resigning to have more time for her family.