Lorain City Council
In a unanimous vote at Lorain City Council’s Nov. 6 meeting, council members shot down the idea of allowing a men’s sober living facility to be built in the International City.
Nine Council members were present at the meeting, while at-large councilmen Mitchell Fallis and Tony Dimacchia were absent, said Council Clerk Breanna Dull.
The matter of whether to reclassify the zoning to allow the facility to be built at the proposed site at 1841 E. 28th St. had been discussed at length both by the city’s Planning Commission as well as City Council for several months leading up to the decision Nov. 6.
Tyler Srokowski, who asked for the zoning change to build the facility, spoke during a public hearing regarding the rezoning request Sept. 11 at Lorain City Hall.
Srokowski’s idea of the sober living facility appeared to have some support from some Council members prior to Nov. 6.
During the public hearing in September, Ward 3 Councilwoman Pamela Carter spoke of the significant substance abuse problem in the community and said the crisis likely will worsen.
Also at the public hearing, Ward 6 Councilman Rey Carrion told Srokowski that this world needs more people like him to help in the fight against addiction.
In 2019, Srokowski spearheaded the opening of Murray’s Home, a six-man house located at 1311 W. Fifth St., which has been a facility where several men built success stories battling substance-abuse issues, Srokowski has said.
Srokowski had proposed the second facility as a “step-down” program for men struggling with addiction.
Earlier this year, the Planning Commission denied Srokowski’s request to change the zoning from light industrial use to high density residential.
In other news, the Lorain Police Department received a $79,814 grant from the Ohio Department of Public Safety, Traffic Safety Office; Lorain Law Department received a $51,474 grant through the Victims of Crime Act; and the Lorain Fire Department received a $33,530 grant through the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation.
