(a) A group residential facility as defined in article seventeen, chapter twenty-seven of this code, shall be a permitted residential use of property for the purposes of zoning and is a permitted use in zones or districts where single family dwelling units or multifamily dwelling units are permitted.
(b) A governing body of a municipality or a county, and a planning commission, cannot discriminate in regard to housing and cannot require a group residential facility or its owner or operator, to obtain a conditional use permit, special use permit, special exception or variance to locate a group residential facility in a zone or district where single family dwelling units or multifamily dwelling units are permitted.
(c) The provisions of this section do not exempt any group residential facility from the structural requirements of any bona fide historic preservation district.