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The Longmont City Council unanimously passed an ordinance on Tuesday night that requires a 500-foot setback for where sex offenders can live in relation to schools, daycares, public parks, and private parks. The ordinance also declared that only three registered sex offenders can live together in one residence. Some residents at the meeting expressed their displeasure with the reduction of the setback from 1,000 feet to 500 feet as the council had originally discussed during its May 6 city council meeting.
"By making it 500 feet, you’re protecting the sexual offenders to give them more places to live,” a Longmont resident said. “I think that’s something you need to reconsider [to protect] the citizens of Longmont. Instead of feeling empathy for the people that created the crime, feel empathy for the people that are the victims of the crime. And more than that, operate in a way that will protect other people from becoming victims from the same criminals. Of course, as one other person mentioned, the zoning. You’re having a business in a residential neighborhood. They didn’t get a license. That needs to mean something or else none of your laws mean anything."
The ordinance will not require any sex offenders to relocate as it is considered a “forward-looking” motion. A home on Winding Drive operated by Mobarez Solutions currently houses eight registered sex offenders. The Longmont City Council began considering this ordinance in early March after residents expressed safety concerns regarding children and the five sex offenders who were living in the house at the time. Mobarez Solutions has a Colorado Agency for Recovery Residences (CARR) certification as a sober living facility, which is protected by state law from local land-use codes. Because of the new ordinance, if and when a current inhabitant of the home relocates, Mobarez Solutions will not be able to replace that individual with another registered sex offender.
Councilman Rodriguez was critical of the ordinance, but ended up voting in favor. “I just want to say that I find this ordinance to be problematic in many ways,” Rodriguez said. “I don't believe that it will increase the safety of anybody in this community. I believe it will make winners and losers out of certain neighborhoods and likely have a bunch of unintended consequences.” Rodriguez said he believes the ordinance will lead to more sex offenders becoming unhoused.
Julia Munster, who provides treatment to registered sex offenders in the community, also expressed concerns about the potential negative effects of implementing more stringent housing restrictions for a group that has a difficult time finding housing.
"Most apartment complexes, condominiums, and suburbs with an HOA do not accept those who have a criminal record to live there. Period,” Munster said. “This literally makes homelessness the only other option. Unless someone is lucky enough to find a renter who understands their situation and is willing to work with them, and those are few and far in between, they will not be able to live anywhere.”
“Mobarez Solutions comes in. So, they offer a housing solution that fosters growth and holds men accountable for all that they do,” Munster continued. “Sex offenders have the lowest rate of recidivism among the criminal populations. Why is this? Because they’re forced to participate in treatment after incarceration. My point is to offer perspective on how we are treating those who are actively taking the steps to end their criminal behaviors and greatly benefit from being in a sober living community that offers them both guidance and safety to overcome the trauma that more often than not enabled their offending ways."
Councilman Matthew Popkin expressed a desire to revisit the ordinance in six to 12 months to determine if it is serving its intended purpose or causing unintended consequences.
