The Effingham Plan Commission is concerned that Oxford House Volta has life-safety violations, un-permitted additions to the property and potential parking issues.
The attorney for Oxford House Volta, Sarah Jane Hunt, is requesting a special-use permit and reasonable accommodations to allow the recovery residence to continue as one.
There are three Oxford House locations in Effingham: Volta, in the 1000 block of W. Virginia Avenue; Lineage, in the 200 block of S. Mulberry Street; and Wabash, in the 800 block of N. Glenwood Street. During last week’s meeting, City Planner Greg Koester suggested five conditions on the special-use permit, if one were granted:
The special-use permit would be a personal privilege to the house owner, Matthew Motzel, and shall not run with the land, and would automatically terminate upon transfer, sale, assignment or conveyance of the property.
Occupancy shall not exceed five people, with only one person occupying the bedroom that is less than 120 square feet and no more than two people occupying the two bedrooms that measure 120 square feet or more
No more than five cars can be parked on the property at at time in accordance with the city’s zoning regulations
No sex offender shall reside on the property since it is in proximity to a property with a special-use permit authorizing a daycare center, child care institution or maternity center.
The permit shall be reviewed annually by city staff to determine if the owner is complying with the permit and regulations of the city.
According to a Zillow listing, Oxford House Volta has four bedrooms and two bathrooms. One bedroom and bathroom have been added without city permits. The listing also mentions that one bedroom is smaller than 120 square feet, which is a life-safety code violation since two people are supposed to be sharing the room.
Neither the city nor Oxford House, Inc. have measured the rooms.
In September 2025, Assistant Fire Chief Matthew Kulesza and Electrical/Pluming Inspector Christopher Niemerg inspected the residence to potentially have it re-zoned, not to determine if it met specific requirements.
Kulesza testified that the residence has four bedrooms and three bathrooms, and that the bedroom dimensions looked accurate to the Zillow listing.
If Oxford House Volta is restricted to a five-person maximum, the recovery residence could not continue there, Hunt said. The Oxford House model requires at least six people because an odd number leaves someone alone in a room.
“There are a lot of factors that go into why that number matters, and it’s very specific on the property and surrounding conditions,” said Hunt. “You are able to make relationships to be able to hold each other accountable and make sure that everybody is working the steps of their program.”
If Hunt had known about the conditions for the special-use permit prior to the meeting, she says she could have addressed the square footage and permitting issue. However, these issues, plus parking, were discussed during the May meeting.
“The record should also reflect that if the permitting issue had been addressed before today, that fourth bedroom could’ve been a consideration that would’ve impacted the recommendation of Mr. Koester made to the commission,” said Taylor Law Offices Attorney Kara Wade. Hunt’s testimony was that since she signed a special-use permit petition written by Greg Hefner, the point-of-contact for the city in September 2025, claiming each bedroom was at least 120 square feet, she had no reason to doubt that the life-safety code wasn’t met.
In order for the city to contact Oxford House Volta, the city would call either the owner of the property, Matthew Motzel, or the residents. The city can also request that each resident register with the city.
Effingham resident Donna Hecht spoke in opposition of Oxford House at the end of the meeting. Hecht lives next to the Wabash location, and says the residents of it turn over frequently.
“Since January 5th this year, they’ve already turned over three different times. My husband and I don’t even know the people that live next door anymore,” said Hecht. “Some of them are starting to get their driver’s license back, so we do have issues or going to have issues now with parking. So there’s no way you can contact one person in the house because they don’t stay there long enough.”
Plan Commissioner Ken Wohltman suggested sending Kulesza, with permission, to measure the bedrooms – even though he doesn’t completely believe it’s the city’s responsibility. He was also concerned about parking possibly becoming a problem.
Plan Commissioner Michael McHugh agreed that the bedrooms need to be measured.
“It’s just incredibly concerning the lack of action, I guess, on the part of the Oxford House and the owner,” said Grunloh.
The plan commission has tabled the item and extended the public hearing again to the next meeting in July, with a day to be determined.