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City planning committee members consider zoning changes to allow temporary housing shelters in uptown Athens
By: Amanda Pirani
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB/Report for America) –More than a dozen Athens residents gathered at a City Council meeting Monday night to discuss the proposed installment of three emergency housing shelters on a parking lot next to The Gathering Place, also known as the Conestoga Hut project.
The project’s proposed location on North Congress Street drew some safety concerns from community members, while others suggested it will increase safety by housing the city’s most vulnerable.
The Gathering Place, which provides support for those experiencing mental health issues, has been working for the last four years to implement the Conestoga Hut pilot project. The pilot would provide emergency shelter in three small wood and canvas huts, which are designed to be easy and affordable to build, and do not include heat or plumbing.
Athens officials are working through two separate zoning changes
The planning committee discussed two zoning proposals related to the project, both of which involve changes to city code, according to Councilmember Alan Swank. The first would allow The Gathering Place to add the huts to its property, which is not permitted in its zoning district.
The proposal includes several conditions, including biannual review by the city’s service-safety director and an available sink and toilet for every three shelters within 200 feet. Additionally, the city can revoke permission for the shelters if there are safety or sanitation concerns, or The Gathering Place transfers ownership of the shelters.
The second proposal would alter Athens city code to create a process for similar projects, allowing temporary housing shelters in R-3 and B-3 (multifamily residential and business) zoning districts on a conditional basis.
Ginger Schmalenberg, executive director of the Gathering Place, said it was important for the city to have a process in place, in the case another social service organization would like to provide similar emergency housing services in the future.
She emphasized the code change includes a multistep process for approval that will ensure future projects are managed properly.
“It’s a process, it’s not just for anyone,” she said. “But if someone else, another social service agency or our churches, if someone wants to do the same, you’ve got a model (in the Conestoga hut project).”
Some residents and business owners are worried about safety
Some community members expressed apprehension the shelters will impact the sense of safety for those walking uptown, or draw more people experiencing homelessness to the city.
Kennedy Masterson, a senior at Ohio University, wrote in a letter to council members that both she and her roommates worried about the site’s proposed location near their housing.
“All eight of us have expressed that we feel increasingly uneasy about this proposal,” Masterson wrote. “We have begun to feel as though we need to be on standby all hours of the night simply to walk home, go to our cars or spend time uptown.”
Kim Kelly, who runs a laundry and dry cleaning business on Stimson Avenue, said she opposed both proposals because of her past experiences as a business owner.
“At my laundromat on Stimson Avenue, I frequently deal with homeless individuals. All of them are men, and all are either drunk, high on drugs or dealing with a mental problem,” she said.
Kelly added that she would not feel safe around any business that added its own emergency housing shelters under the proposed zoning changes.
The Gathering Place director says she wants to address concerns with more information
Schmalenberg said she is listening to concerns and hopes to address them if the proposals see public hearings in October. While she’s performed outreach with community members and businesses near the site of the proposed huts, she said public comments led her to realize she still needs to reach students on the issue.
“If there are college students who are threatened, then you know we’ve got to do some work,” she said.
To keep both residents and community members safe, Schmalenberg said there is a staff member onsite at The Gathering Place 24 hours a day. Additionally, the property includes an updated camera system.
Schmalenberg said she believes most of those who are fearful of the Conestoga huts misunderstand both the project itself and those she works with. Most are recovering from trauma rather than facing severe mental illness that requires hospitalization and come from all walks of life.
“You can walk in here right now and you won’t be able to tell who’s an intern and who’s receiving programming and services,” she said.
She added that most of those she works with are long-term community members rather than those who traveled to Athens specifically to receive services.
The majority of those who testified spoke in support of the proposals, arguing the project will meet the city’s need for more emergency shelters.
Craig Hellbusch, a paramedic in Athens, said the huts offer an opportunity to increase safety for community members experiencing homelessness.
“The reality of the situation is that if you were homeless, you are more likely to be the victim of a crime than a perpetrator, especially when it comes to violent crime. Having a secure location where you can go to and be safe is paramount,” he said.
A local musician shared his personal story of homelessness and recovery
Kent Lankas, a local musician who grew up in Athens, said it was important for community members to remember that anyone can face housing instability.
“I was the person who brought live music back to Athens and the state of Ohio when it went away and we needed it the most, and we all know what music means to this particular community,” he said. “I also ended up homeless, living under bridges in Athens for over a year and a half due to mental issues and substance use issues. It can happen to anyone.”
Lankas said programming at The Gathering Place and Mike’s Bridge House were pivotal in his recovery by providing a safe shelter and support.
Councilmember Swank said before the proposals can be considered by council as ordinances, the city’s law director would need to review them. He said that by having a different set of requirements for each change it can appear as if the city is granting one individual case special privileges.
“In the first we would be granting … immediate use of that for those wagons, where, in the second case, there’s a two-step process,” he said. “It has to go to the service-safety director, and then it also has to go to the Board of Zoning Appeals, essentially granting the same opportunity, but different rules.”
Swank said he expects to hear from the law director on the issue later this month and the planning committee will take the proposals up again at its next meeting on Sept. 22.
Amanda Pirani is WOUB’s Report for America Journalist covering Economic Livelyhood. For more information about Report for America, you can click here.