EL DORADO, Kan. — A transitional home for the homeless will not be built in El Dorado, at least not right now.

The petition for a special permit to put the facility in residential neighborhood was withdrawn by the Butler Homeless Initiative after an intense public meeting tonight.

The El Dorado City Commission heard from those who were for and against having the facility in a home, located at 131 N. Star Street.

Melody Gault, with BHI, pointed to the need for transitional housing in El Dorado and said having the facility at that location could positively affect the nearby homes.

“We believe with BHI purchasing this property and making the necessary upgrades, the property values in the neighborhood could actually increase, rather than decrease,” said Gault.

However, some property owners didn’t agree.

“I believe my property value will plummet $27,500, the price I paid for it as a foreclosed property,” said Leon Cain, Owner of River Valley Properties.

So KSN asked what rights do homeowners have when it comes to this.

“Homeowners have rights with respect to their neighbors under existing zoning and land use laws,” said Dan Monnat, KSN Legal Analyst.

Monnat says while the residents do have these rights, they don’t classify to a resident using them solely to protect their property values.

“Such laws can’t be used as instruments of discrimination overtly or covertly under the guise of protecting land values,” said Monnat.

City Commissioners did stress at the end of the meeting that they aren’t against having more transitional homes for the homeless.

They said they do need to look into a location that won’t negatively affect its residents.

Last May, the same permit was didn’t receive enough votes from commissioners,  after BHI had tried to put a shelter at an abandoned motel site in El Dorado.

KSNW TV – By Chris Arnold