California: Limits Given to House for AIDS, HIV Patients

On Dec. 6, the San Marcos Planning Commission voted 7-0 to extend a conditional-use permit for Fraternity House, a home for people with HIV/AIDS. More than 200 people attended the 3.5-hour meeting, which was preceded by a candlelight vigil supporting the house.

The panel overruled city staff's recommendation for a three-year permit with annual reviews for another three years, opting instead for a five-year permit with provisions for a five-year extension if the facility meets all 31 city-imposed conditions, which include:

• Limit the house's population to its current level: eight residents and five staff.
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• Add two parking spaces -- for a total of eight -- and require all parking to be on-site. For special events, parking will be permitted only on part of the road in front of the house.

• Require a special-event permit for events where large crowds are expected.

• Set visiting hours from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Special consideration would be granted when later visits are needed, such as when a death is imminent.

Area residents denied that their concerns about the house were related to AIDS. "I'm not afraid of AIDS. It's about the traffic, concern for people on horses, and managing the property," said neighbor Tom Stephenson.

Eight homes share a private road with Fraternity House in a rural area near Elfin Forest. The county owns the Fraternity House building and two others on the road; they were purchased in the 1990s as a buffer area for a proposed expansion of the San Marcos landfill, which has since closed.

Residents complained that raw sewage flowed from the facility and that medical waste was discarded improperly. After testimony from Executive Director Molly Henry and a county official, the commission largely dismissed these complaints, saying the main issue seemed to be traffic safety in an area where most families have children and horses.

Back to other news for December 13, 2004