04-17-1995 Planning Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING CONLMISSION MEETING HELD ON MARCH 7, 1995 PL'BLIC INFORMATION MEETING - FOLTITH WORKSHOP PROPOSED AMENDMENT OF ZONING CODE TO .ALLOW DOMESTIC ABUSE SHELTER AT PROPERTY LOCATED AT 2380 SHADWOOD ROAD (??5 - Public Comments and Questions - Continued) Greg Sichender. a Westonka Inters ention board member, reported that adolescent boys are not allowed or a limited number are allowed at the Minnetonka shelter to eliminate potential behavorial problems Schroeder asked Hessburg if adolescent boys would be limited but Hessburg did not know. Peterson said there was the neeu for safety but people should realize that not all of the victims even have children. Hessburg said that there has never been any violence in regard to a police call to a shelter in Minnesota. Sojourner had one call regarding a batterer possibly coming to the shelter but this never materialized. Batterers run the w hole gamut of social-economic class and arc people you see every day. The victim would be under court protection, and the last place the batterer would want to be w ould be at the shelter to cause himself more problems Val Hessburg reported researching police department calls. Home Free Shelter in Plymouth had 2 calls in 1992, 1 call in 1993, and no calls from January through May of 1994. Richard Meyers was concerned with calls to other parts of the community related to the shelter. Meyers was not worried about in-facility but outside-facility problems saying statistics show that problems don't come as a result of the shelter itself Hessburg reported that when a victim is unable to be in a shelter, the violence will be seen out on the road, at the store, etc If the victim is in the shelter, the violence will not be there. Peterson said that a batterer knows where firiends and family are located to find the victim but if at the shelter, they won ’t go there. Ray Pasch of 3300 Navarre Lane, was concerned when the victims are out in the neighborhood going to the bus, the store, etc. Children are restricted to the site but what about the victim He wondered if the batterer would be watching and waiting for the victim and incidents would then occur. Hessburg said by that time, the victim is under court protection, and any occurrence of violence would result in actual jail time, which is a deterrent to anything happening. Schroeder said the concern was if the shelter would attract an undesirable concentration of people. Pasch also asked about the location and drawing additional traffic through the area and not through the residential streets but by Co Rds 15 and 19 only. He asked if the access to the facility would be from the county roads only and what about the side vacated road. Hessburg said the victim would be brought to the shelter by an advocate and stay about 17-19 days. The traffic would be greater from the staff personnel. If a victim is working, they would use the parking lot. The lower level area would also create traffic with service trucks. Meyers asked if the access road would be deadended so the road would not go through the neighborhood. The Planning Commissioners thought that all access would be from the county road but will look at this issue.