GENEVA — A recent spike in home occupation permits for home day care businesses prompted city officials to make the zoning code more “kid friendly,” assistant city manager Jennifer Brown said.
“With this economy, a lot of people are finding ways to make extra money, including home businesses,” Brown said. “Anyone who operates a business out of their home needs a home occupation permit and must go before the planning commission.”
The jump in permit applications for home day care businesses created a problem for city officials, as the zoning text didn’t address child-specific situations , Brown said.
“We just couldn’t take the cookie-cutter code and apply it to home occupation day cares,” Brown said. “The way the code read didn’t translate well for a day care facility.”
Specific concerns include minimum fire safety and health standards for homes that provide child care as a business and regulation of setbacks, screening and buffers, noise, hours of operation, property access and traffic, the ordinance reveals.
The ordinance also limits each home day care to six children at one time with no more than three children under 2 years of age at one time. Any children under 6 years old who are related to the child-care provider are included in the head count. Hours of operation are limited to 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. five days a week.
Brown said child safety was also a major concern with the ordinance.
Day care providers must have flashlights or emergency lighting, repair loose floorboards, remove peeling or any accessible lead paint, and remove all toxic and dangerous substances and sharp objects from the reach of children, the ordinance mandates.
The home business cannot post an exterior sign in front of the home for the business, and any exterior alterations made to the home for the purpose of the day care are prohibited if the alterations change the appearance of the house to indicate that it is anything other than just a home.
The code also outlines regulations for escape plans, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers, heaters and electrical outlets.
Brown said the new code should address the special interests of child day care businesses and their impact on the neighborhoods where they are located.
“This is definitely a more robust code for day cares,” Brown said. “There was a lot to consider, and the home occupation code also gives neighbors the chance to vocalize their concerns about a potential business next door.”
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