Litchfield City Council Denies Transitional Living Permits, Postpones Educational Facility Request for Sunshine Living

Litchfield City Council Meeting | April 16, 2026

Article Summary: A proposal by Sunshine Living NFP to convert a building at 1285 E. Union Avenue into a transitional living facility was rejected by the Litchfield City Council, while a modified request for a daytime educational center was postponed to allow for further zoning review.

Sunshine Living Zoning Key Points:

• Seven ordinances and resolutions related to establishing a transitional living facility at 1285 E. Union Ave. were unanimously voted down by the council.

• An eighth measure requesting a special use permit for an educational training and conference facility was postponed until the Planning and Zoning Board can review the applicant’s newly revised proposal.

• Sunshine Living NFP presented a modified three-phase plan during public participation, shifting focus from overnight transitional living to daytime vocational training, following negative feedback from the zoning commission.

• Council members expressed support for community assistance programs but insisted the Planning and Zoning Board must formally evaluate the new phases before the council takes action.

The Litchfield City Council on Thursday, April 16, 2026, unanimously denied a series of zoning amendments and special use permits that would have allowed a transitional living facility to operate at 1285 E. Union Avenue, while opting to postpone a related request for a daytime educational facility at the same location.

The property, owned by Sunshine Living NFP, was the subject of eight separate agenda items. Items one through seven were tied directly to allowing a transitional living facility—which includes overnight stays—in a C-2 Community Business zoning district, as well as allowing the owners to reside on-site. The city’s Planning and Zoning Board had previously recommended denial of these items. The council agreed, voting “nay” across the board.

However, the nature of the application shifted during the meeting. Joshua Schuette, treasurer for Sunshine Living NFP, utilized the public participation period to introduce a revised, three-phase plan.

“We started out with an application for transitional living, and in hearing public comments… we felt, you know, we listened and we heard and we needed to pivot and take this a different direction,” Schuette told the council. “That’s why we are focusing for this property to use it as really education, training, and development.”

Under the revised “Phase One,” the facility would operate strictly as an educational center offering job skills, resume building, and vocational training Monday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., with no overnight stays. Schuette indicated that subsequent phases would reintroduce requests for residential quarters for owners, staff, and attending students.

Agenda item number eight—an ordinance granting a special use permit for a commercial, private, or public education, training, and conference facility—had actually received a recommendation of approval from the Planning and Zoning Board, provided it was restricted to the 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. operating hours.

Despite the zoning board’s prior approval of the daytime facility, the council hesitated to approve item eight due to the newly introduced phased plan. Council members voiced concerns about how the city could enforce the rules if the facility slowly morphed back into an unapproved transitional living space.

“If we’re at the 30-day mark and this plan suddenly turns into transitional living… does the city have any grounds to say, ‘Hey, okay, this is clearly not an education situation?'” one alderman asked.

City Administrator Breann Vazquez clarified that under the existing request for item eight, “There is nobody living there… This opens the building as a school.”

Recognizing the shift in the project’s scope, the council ultimately decided that the Planning and Zoning Board needed to formally vet the new three-phase proposal in its entirety.

“I don’t want you guys to think that we’re approving this when we’re only approving the Monday through Saturday thing,” Alderperson Sara Zumwalt said. “Because this was presented tonight, I don’t want there to be any confusion of what is allowed and what isn’t allowed. So I would prefer as a building and zoning liaison to kick it back to them and let them see this.”

Alderperson Huffman moved to amend the motion to postpone action on the educational facility permit until the Planning and Zoning Board has the opportunity to review the revised plan. The motion to postpone passed unanimously.