WAMC REPORTS
FAIR/ BALANCED 

Read/listen to WAMC Radio
report on the Court Decison
annulling the Bethany/Family
Promise plan to use 738 New
Scotland Avenue as a rented
hub for the regional homeless
social services program.

http://wamc.org/post/albany-family-promise-hits-legal-roadblock
--

Go ahead Mayor Sheehan
make my day.
 
Zoning is a local, state matter
not a among the enumerated
powers delegated to the Federal
government by the Constitution.

The Bethany-Family Promise
case has nothing to do with
religion. It is a matter of
upholding the City Zoning
Code provisions that protect
the residential integrity
quality of life in Uptown
single family residential
neighborhoods.

As Mayor of a City on the
brink of fiscal insolvency
you would be committing
political Hari Kari by not
upholding the the law, the
City Zoning Code provisions
that protect home values
the city property tax in
neighborhoods that provide
the lions share of support
for city schools and city
services. 

The Federal law you, Bethany
and Family Promise are relying
on, does not trump local zoning
laws (codes) that protect homeowners
and  single family residential
neighborhoods from land use
changes that will adversely impact
the residential character of a
single family residential 
neighborhoods that pay the
lion's share of taxes supporting
city schools and city services.

Just last year the U S Supreme
Court refused to hear a case
where state courts rejected
a claim based on challenging
a local zoning law, invoking
RLUIPA .

This year  (2016)Virginia courts
did the same:

Andon LLC v City Of Newport News
Virginia (4th Cir 2016)

Andon LLC v City of Newport News
Virginia (E.D. Va, Nov 20, 2014).

Family Promise can simply
return to its' downtown location
553 Clinton Ave and/or run their
program out of the former St
Patrick's Church on Central Ave.
where the Albany City Zoning
Code would not bar Family
Promise from operating a
regional hub for its homeless
social services.

Bethany can simply sell 738
New Scotland Ave a single
family dwelling to a local
family, with young children
who can attend Mater Christi
School  and Holy Names Academy.

Bethany volunteers can serve
the Family Promise operation(s)
downtown, where the homeless
are to be found.

Serve God, but do no harm
to the neighborhood and neighbors
who are protected by the provisions
of the City Code regarding R-1B
single family districts namely
Houses of Worship and single
family residential dwellings.

                            Joe Sullivan