Reasoning on Phoenix House

The letter to the editor on the proposed Phoenix House project in Lake View Terrace (“Supporting Phoenix House,” Oct. 19) referred to residents of the area as either “reasonable” or “unreasonable.”

As one who failed the Phoenix House litmus test for reasonableness, I’d like to report just what qualifies one for that dubious title.

I am a community service activist and have been on the executive board of the Lake View Terrace Improvement Assn. for many years. I am also one of the immediate neighbors of the proposed site, and originally did not oppose the project. Therefore, it was not surprising that representatives of Phoenix House requested my participation in early negotiations.

However, when these same Phoenix House representatives requested me to unilaterally endorse their proposal to my community without first reading their conditional use permit application, alarm bells immediately went off in my head. I had to decline.

Henceforth, I became “unreasonable” (see Phoenix House dictionary), and was no longer included in discussions. I became further unreasonable when, along with my neighbors, I requested Phoenix House be required to do an EIR, an informational document which would provide guidelines and parameters to a project.

The neighbors feel this document is necessary because, while Phoenix House has reduced its original proposal from 210 residents to 150, to the best of our knowledge the facility itself has not shrunk in size and we must therefore assume that they plan to reapply in the future to meet or exceed their original occupancy. An EIR would require Phoenix House to disclose future plans for expansion. Neighbors feel they are entitled to this information.

At this point I can only question Phoenix House’s willingness to be a good neighbor. It is unfortunate that they continue to avoid meeting with concerned residents, and persist in their steamroller tactics.

BARBARA HUBBARD, Lake View Terrace