By Tim Schmidt Record Managing Editor A living facility that helps teenagers transition into adulthood won approval Tuesday to keep operating in Warrenton. A site plan and conditional use permit were both passed for Step Up TLP, LLC, located at Morgan Trails Court. The board voted 5-0 to pass both proposals. Ward 3 Alderman Jim Dreyer was absent from Tuesday night’s meeting. Step Up is a transitional living program that helps teenagers in foster care progress from state custody to independent living. The youths reside in furnished two-bedroom, two-bath villas, with males and females living in separate units. A third villa is occupied by Step Up owner Cathy Pritchett and her husband. Step Up rents the property from Demien Construction, Pritchett said. As part of the program, Step Up provides the young people with a wide array of training, in areas such as education, job readiness and budgeting and other life skills. The goal is to prepare residents to transition into another phase of the program where they graduate and reside off-site. The typical ages for those placed in the apartments are between 16 and 20 years old. Mayor Jerry Dyer said city officials learned about Step Up a few months ago and realized that its operations did not meet codes. Step Up had been operating since February 2012, according to its website. A conditional use permit was needed to allow Step Up to operate a transitional living facility in a R-3, high-density residential zoning district. Two conditions were placed on the permit. No more than four guests or residents can reside in any one single unit and one unit must be occupied as residents by the management staff of the facility. Before opening Step Up, the Pritchetts had served as foster parents to over 60 children in the past 10-plus years. Pritchett said her business contracts with Missouri Alliance for Children and Families to house the kids. The city’s planning and zoning commission previously voted 7-0 to approve the site plan and conditional use permit at its May 1 meeting.
Facility helping teens transition into adulthood wins approval
