A pair of proposals pending before the Gary Common Council to grant special use permits allowing for day care centers to operate in the city brought some debate Tuesday over the issue of just how many day care centers is too many.
Councilman Herb Smith Jr., D-At large, who chairs the council’s Planning Committee, said he’s not necessarily opposed to day care centers operating in Gary, but wonders what restrictions should be put on their development.
“What means do we have (in Gary municipal law) to make sure we don’t become saturated with them,” Smith said.
Sarah Kobetis, the city’s deputy planning director, said Indiana law mostly covers the regulation of day care centers, and mostly is concerned with safety regulations meant to protect children.
As a result, she said there is little that city officials can do with zoning laws to try to limit the number of centers.
Kobetis said the Gary Board of Zoning Appeals, which reviews each proposal for a day care center that wants to open in the city, is looking into the issue of what restrictions could be enacted in the future.
Because day care regulation is regarded as a state government issue, “we don’t have the ability to add regulations (on day care centers) beyond” Indiana law, she said.
Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson said she is aware of some talks taking place between her staff, those of other municipalities and state officials in Indianapolis that are meant to change state law, and she said she would hope those talks could come to fruition before city officials attempted any change in local laws.
“Give us the opportunity to deal with the issue of (day care center) density,” the mayor said, although she did not say how long of a time period that would take.
Smith said he is inclined to trust the mayor that something eventually will happen. “I’ll become dormant on this issue for now,” he said Tuesday.
The Gary Common Council this year alone has granted special use permits that altered the zoning of homes in residential neighborhoods to permit day care centers that would watch up to a dozen children at once.
Some are open only for certain hours, while a few are open around the clock. In only one case did the council reject a day care center proposal. that one, in January, would have been located in the city’s Morningside Historic District and where many older Gary residents live.
On Tuesday, the council’s planning committee reviewed proposals to allow day care centers to operate in the 2100 block of Georgia Street and the 1100 block of Idaho Street.
In the latter case, Arnisha Fulton said she has two other day cares within walking distance, but her intent is to operate the new facility as a place for older children – between ages 9 and 12.
“I want to separate the kids into age-appropriate groups,” Fulton said. “The parents (of the younger children she cares for) seem to like the idea.”
While as for the Georgia Street day care, there is another day care center two doors down from the proposed site and another day care one block away. There also are issues related to unpaid property taxes and questions over who owns the property that could wind up stalling the proposal.
Debra Young, who wants to lease the property for a facility, said she views the operators of the other nearby facilities as “mentors” to herself and that she believes all the day care facilities would compliment each other.
Council President Ronald Brewer cited a nearby apartment complex with many young children, saying he thinks it creates a demand for day care in the area. “It’s a very concentrated area for day cares,” he said.
Gregory Tejeda is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
