Ocala sober living facility zoning decision postponed

Compassion Methodist Church [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.

The Ocala City Council has postponed deciding on a zoning change that would allow the Open Arms Village to expand its sober living facility to create a halfway house for women.

The owners of Compassion Methodist Church are seeking to change their zoning to limited community business so that Open Arms Village can use the church to house up to 16 women for holistic recovery.

The decision will be postponed until the Jan. 24^th city council meeting, at the request of the applicant.

Open Arms Village has its main location at 1839 NE Eighth Road in Ocala, which serves men in Marion County by extending time spent sober, improving psychiatric symptoms and reducing the likeliness of future costs to the hospitals and legal system, according to Open Arms.

Suzanne Kuhn, a board member from Open Arms, spoke on behalf of the organization before the city council.

“This is a service that is for the people and by the people. It’s funded by grants and donors within our own community. This is an existing structure that merely requires zoning approval to operate,” Kuhn said. “With this vote, you can help change the lives of motivated members of the community who are ready to make significant change and just needing the structure and foundation to find themselves again.”

The extension of services to create a women’s program will be housed at the Compassion Methodist Church and will include “housing, therapy, resume preparation, job skill development, driver’s license and transportation assistance, education, family reunification, case management, and recovery services,” according to church officials.

The church used to be the Druid Hills United Methodist Church until its closure due to lack of membership. For many years, it was the site of one of the largest and most popular “pumpkin patch” events in the region. Michael and Jill Beck of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Ocala, and their team, launched Compassion UMC at the location in 2023.

The applicants first asked the city for a building permit to make the necessary renovations to the church to convert a portion of it to a shelter, and Planning & Zoning staff instructed them to also apply to rezone the property to be in accordance with city ordinances.

Since the owners submitted their application, residents near the church have expressed opposition to the expansion of the sober living facility, citing safety concerns because schools are near the site.

There are single-family neighborhoods to the east and west of the church, and it is near South Ocala Elementary, Eighth Street Elementary, Osceola Middle School, St. John Lutheran School and Blessed Trinity Catholic School.

St. John Lutheran School Principal James Knoepfel said he appreciated the idea of the facility but could not support the location being so close to the school at 1915 SE Lake Weir Ave., Ocala.

“While I acknowledge that there is a rigorous application and screening process for residents (of Open Arms), the potential risk associated with individuals who may be struggling with significant issues cannot be overlooked,” Knoepfel said.

Knoepful said he believes St. John Lutheran School represents similar values that Compassion Methodist Church does, said they have a similar commitment to service and compassion guided by scripture. He wishes, however, it would be at a different location.

“As an administrator, I’m obligated to speak up on behalf of the safety and well-being of our students before situations occur when problems or tragedies do take place at schools,” he said.