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Mr. Dennis Welsch <br />January 6,2006 <br />Page 6 of 6 <br />of rental housing in a particular zone. In addition, in Oxford House v. City of St. Louis, 77 �.3d <br />249, 251 (8th Cir. 1996), the facts indicated that the city inspected a group home and found <br />that too many individuals were living in a single family zo�� violating the zoning code which <br />allowed eight or fewer handicapped residents in a group home. The court concluded that <br />inspections of the group homes were not impermissibly discriminatory because the home was <br />not treated any differently fron�. any other similarly-situated single family residence. Id. at 252. <br />Thus, it appears that group 1lomcs can he expected to maintain the same health and <br />safety standards for rental housing that would be required of any other type of single family <br />rental housing. The legislation permits a group home to locate in a single family residential <br />area when it otherwise could not. Beyond that, however, a licensed group home for �i � or <br />fewer person must be treated in the same n�anner by the municipality as it treats all single <br />family residences. Costley, 313 N,W.2d at 27. Furthermore, rental licensing inspection of <br />group homes could be justified as a health and safety measure to protect residents against <br />substandard living conditions that could be maintained by entities that operate the homes. It is <br />important to stress, however, that such inspections must only be as stringent as those applied to <br />other single falnily rental housing. Uniform application of health and safety standards to both <br />typical single family rental homes and group homes appears to be a city's best strategy. <br />Please contact us if you have any questions or cancern�. <br />.�TS/j j lc <br />RRM� 86068 <br />�ti <br />Very truly yours, <br />;� r <br />� f�; , <br />� , � <br />Jay T. , ��i,"r{�.ti <br />Jennifer J. Kni�-keberg <br />