MILTON, Ga. — Several speakers pleaded with the Milton City Council Aug. 7 to approve a zoning change on Hamby Road, which would transform a single-family residence into a home for seniors with disabilities.
Tammy Urey, with DAUFY Adult Community Services, requested a special use permit that would allow one full-time employee to support four seniors, 55 and older, with intellectual and developmental disabilities at the 5,081-square-foot home. The building sits on 2.15 acres of land zoned agricultural.
“We want them to live as equal citizens like the rest of you and I,” Urey said. “We’re not going to change the structure. We’re just going to support these individuals.”
The Milton Planning Commission approved the application June 28 in a 3-2 vote, but with conditions based on some concerns brought forth by residents wary of the home being used for drug rehabilitation or mental illness.
Planners had recommended allowing only residents with developmental disabilities, prohibiting use for a sober living home, substance abuse recovery home or a halfway house.
Alternative senior housing
There were two other speakers at the Aug. 7 council meeting who advocated for alternative senior housing on Hamby Road, both with children with disabilities. Milton resident Tracy Markoff, filled with emotion, said her daughter who is “severely disabled” participates in DAUFY’s day program.
“I hope that when she reaches the age that she would qualify for a home like this, that it’ll be available for her in the community that we’ve lived in for all of these years and where she’s grown,” Markoff said.
But Milton resident Kara Rutland, who lives on Hamby Road, opposed the plan, along with around 20 others who had signed a petition.
Rutland said her main concern is the “precedent” a rezoning would set. Any approved use permit is in…
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