MORGANTOWN – The question of whether the former sorority house at 1493 University Ave. should be used as a recovery home packed the Morgantown City Hall meeting chamber Wednesday evening.
The answer, determined by a quorum of the Morgantown Board of Zoning Appeals at the end of a three-hour meeting, is that it should not.
With a split 2-1 vote, the body denied a request for a “half-way house” conditional use submitted by Abundant Life Recovery Housing Network.
Chair Chris Benison and Alexander Martin voted to deny the application. Matthew Misfeldt voted in the minority.
Abundant Life Recovery Housing Network currently has one male and one female recovery home operating in Westover.
Matthew Johnson, founder and president of the nonprofit, said the University Avenue facility would have about 30 residents, which is in line with its past occupancy as a sorority house.
He explained that Abundant Life is faith-based; that clients are admitted after completing initial recovery steps, and that nobody with a record including violent or sexual crimes is accepted. Further, he said all inhabitants must be employed or pursuing education, attend five recovery meetings weekly, pass random drug screens and abide by all rules, including a 9 p.m. curfew, or face removal from the facility.
According to Johnson, there is currently a 70-person waiting list for the services.
Of the 22 speakers to offer public comment, about a third were opposed to the placement of a recovery home at that location.
Those in opposition included WVU Vice President and Chief of Staff Erin Newmeyer and WVU Vice President and General Counsel Stephanie Taylor, both of whom addressed the board as representatives of the university. A letter from WVU President Michael Benson was included in the meeting’s agenda packet.
A portion of a letter from the Monongalia County Commission, also in opposition, was read into the record.
“My comments and my remarks today are not in any way, shape, or form to question the merit of the program or Abundant Life and the work that they have done. They are clearly a critically needed service for our community. There are so many wonderful success stories here. There is no judgment. That is not the conversation that I’m here to have. What I would like to share on behalf of the university is our concern over the location,” Newmeyer said.
The sentiment was indicative of nearly all of the comments and correspondence opposing the conditional use – the mission is good and the services are needed, just not in this location.
Newmeyer explained that after learning of the request before the BZA, the university reached out to Abundant Life with an offer to take over the purchase agreement on the property and collaborate with the nonprofit on what future programming would look like.
Johnson later responded, explaining the offer made by WVU was, “not at all appropriate.”
A representative of the neighboring St. John University Parish said the church was also attempting to purchase the property for use as a “Catholic dorm.” but could not get the necessary approvals in place before Abundant Life’s offer was accepted.
Outside of WVU and the county commission, the public opposition expressed came from leadership and parishioners of the church, including Pastor Brian Crenwelge, who explained the church regularly hosts recovery meetings.
“So this has nothing to do with the great mission and the great effect it has on those who live in these houses. Nothing. It’s more of the perspective of prudence. As we say in Catholicism, ‘the near occasion of sin.’ We have lots of young women who walk back and forth … And as you, if any of you live downtown, you know our college students are finding themselves and they are not dressed hardly at all. And so I, as a celibate man, I see that, right? And I see the source of temptation it could be for men who are in recovery from all sorts of backgrounds. They may not be outside because of curfew, but they sure have windows,” Crenwelge said.
“From a sense of prudence, I don’t think the location, being right there next to the church, but also on the campus, I do not believe it to be the best location. I think another place in the city would be wonderful.”
In addition to numerous individuals who offered personal testimony on the program’s effectiveness, Ryan Fell, a board member for Abundant Life, spoke directly to the opposition from WVU and the church.
“I think it is highly hypocritical of faith-based organizations and of our land grant institution of our state to speak highly of recovery organizations, but then turn their cheek whenever those organizations come within their spaces,” he said.
Johnson added that he was “disappointed” in the tenor of the conversation and said those in opposition were speaking out of both sides of their mouths.
“I strongly believe that it’s impossible to say that I support this, but I support this somewhere else. That is not support. That is simply wishing that people didn’t exist. That is ignoring people living in our spaces and in our communities who are trying to get better,” he said, later adding, “We have residents who work at WVU. They serve food. They clean floors. They do the hospital laundry. Apparently, they’re allowed to work there, but they’re not allowed to live close by.”
