“The City of Brookings issued a notice of abatement to St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church for being out of compliance with the municipal code and land use laws, including the benevolent meal services ordinance adopted by the City Council in October of 2021 and a variety of other social services, including an outreach clinic, a day program and an advocacy program. City officials have made every effort to work with St. Timothy’s to ensure they comply with the City’s municipal code. Unfortunately, St. Timothy’s continues to choose not to comply with multiple parts of the City’s code. Despite our best efforts, significant public safety problems remain at and surrounding St. Timothy’s, including impacts on neighbors, countless police calls, vandalism, property damage and other serious public safety concerns.” - Tony Baron, Public Works Director, City of Brookings
Background
In October 2021, the City of Brookings passed an ordinance that allowed benevolent meal services to be provided in residential zones through a conditional use permit. Prior to this ordinance, benevolent meal services were not allowed in residential zones at all, although they are allowed in other zones of the city. The City Council worked tirelessly with five other providers of benevolent meal services to create the ordinance and ensure this critical service is available to the community. All other providers have complied with the ordinance, except St. Timothy’s. St. Timothy’s continues to violate the ordinance. Additionally, St. Timothy’s has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants and funding in order to provide and added many social services to the point it is essentially a social service agency now, which is not permitted within residential areas, and which is causing serious public safety problems. It would be unfair and unjust to the City and its residents if the City’s code were only selectively enforced which is why a Notice of Abatement was issued to St. Timothy’s.
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