Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Protecting the public
Tonight, the Lakewood City Council by 7-0 vote approved new rules for land within ‘public institutional’ zoning and for large group homes. One side effect of the rules is to create requirements for the state to put a prison in Lakewood, though there are many other reasons for these changes.
The changes, among other things, make it possible for the city to conduct extensive review of proposals that would make big changes in public lands within our city. The changes include strict rules for group homes (and yes, one form of Group Home is Progress House, the work-release prison that the state wants to put on the grounds of Western State Hospital). One rule for large group homes is that they would have to be 1,000 feet from schools, day cares or public parks. This would mean that Progress House could not be located on Western State because it is across the street from a park.
Now, this is only the latest step in a long regulatory saga. State government wields great power and, sadly, has no reason to care about the mentally ill, their families, or the people or laws of Lakewood. If state government challenges our rules as expected, the first stop in making a decision about whether these rules are appropriate will be … you guessed it … a state agency: the Central Puget Sound Growth Management Control Board. http://www.gmhb.wa.gov/central/index.html
There is a real risk, based on past judgements, that the board might say that Lakewood as a city has no right to protect schoolkids and the vulnerable mentally ill from rapists and robbers. But the makeup of the board has changed a bit since the last ruling – I see Gov. Gregoire has an appointee on there now – so we’ll have to see. Maybe they will come down in favor of public safety.
Once again, it is important to know that despite all the speeches and what you are likely to read in the paper, Progess House is no further away, and no closer either. If the board does rule against the people of Lakewood, the next likely stop after that will be court.
All in all, it comes down to the old truism in government: whatever happens, the lawyers get busier.
