> Local News > Springfield > Rooke asks public to report half-way houses
Rooke asks public to report half-way housesBy G. Michael Dobbs
Managing Editor
SPRINGFIELD City Councilor Tim Rooke wants to know if you have a halfway house on your street and has started a "half-way house hotline."
The announcement came after city officials converged at 149 Seymour Ave., the home at which a recent stabbing took place. Code Enforcement officers, members of the fire department and Rooke toured the home suspected of being an illegal boarding house. The inspection of the house where a recent stabbing took place came out clean. There was no evidence the residence was being used in an illegal manner.
Rooke said the multi-department inspection was just the city acting in a responsible manner after the crime that took place.
Rooke, though, took the opportunity to discuss the number of half-way houses and establishments that qualify under the Dover Amendment a state law that allows for the use of property for religious or education purposed with no local control.
The law states, "No zoning ordinance or by-law shall regulate or restrict [...] the use of land or structures for religious purposes or for educational purposes on land owned or leased by the commonwealth or any of its agencies, subdivisions or bodies politic or by a religious sect or denomination, or by a nonprofit educational corporation; provided, however, that such land or structures may be subject to reasonable regulations concerning the bulk and height of structures and determining yard sizes, lot area, setbacks, open space, parking and building coverage requirements."
A facility having a particular educational purpose, whether it was for developmentally challenged people, drug addicts, troubled teens or sex offenders, does not need a special permit to operate in a city, Rooke explained.
What concerns Rooke is how these facilities affect neighborhoods and what is the current number of them in Springfield. Rooke said the most recent figure is 132 such facilities in the city. He compared them to the 262 similar facilities in Boston, a city a little less than four times the size of Springfield.
He is concerned Springfield is over-saturated for a community its size and would like to confirm the current number of facilities.
The number of facilities should be tied into the state aid we receive, he said. Boston received $25 million in additional assistance, while Springfield received $2.
He hopes people throughout the city will call 787-6170 to report the location of a half-way house in their neighborhood. Rooke said he would forward the information to the right city department to confirm the halfway house is operating legally and to add them to the current census.
Rooke added that anyone who suspects there is an illegal boarding house near them should call with that information as well.
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> Local News > Springfield > Rooke asks public to report half-way houses
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