I would not want this in my neighborhood...WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH A COMMERCIAL BUILDING THAT ISN'T IN USE. A COMMERCIAL LOCATION MAKES A LOT MORE SENSE. WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH USING THE OLD VA HOSPITAL???? ASBESTOS IN WALLS WAS A BUNCH OF BS TO START WITH...IT IS IN THE WALLS. PUT THEM IN EMPTY COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS, GIVE THEM EACH A SPECIFIC JOB TO DO, HAVE THEIR MEETINGS, HAVE CHURCH SERVICES. DAYUM PEOPLE. THIS IS JUST ANOTHER WAY OF BRINGING DOWN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS.

Get your facts straight, Fox 16! The neighbors of the Oxford House facility on Plaza Drive do NOT object to a legitimate recovery facility with a reasonable number of residents, as long as they abide by the law. We said that on the record at the January 10 meeting of the Planning Commission. What we do object to is a for-profit landlord buying up property in a single-family neighborhood and hiding behind federal law to bilk ex-convicts out of their disability checks. This facility provides NO SUPERVISION, and crowds 7 unrelated men (potentially including ex-cons convicted of violent offenses -- according to the applicant) into a 3 bedroom house. This is dangerous for the neighborhood, and cannot help the men who truely want to rebuild their lives after suffering from addiction. Another error in your story: this issue is no longer before the Planning Commission. They made their decision on 1/10/13. The neighbors have appealed to the City Board. Remember, Fox 16: journalists have a duty to the citizens to be accurate and complete. When the press is sloppy with facts, democracy suffers.