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Athens City Council approves a zoning change for emergency housing shelters uptown in a unanimous decision
By: Amanda Pirani
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB/Report for America) — Applause broke out during a City Council meeting Monday after a unanimous “aye” approved a zoning change that will allow three temporary housing shelters uptown.
The organization provides a community space for those who have experienced trauma and connects them to other services as needed. Director Ginger Schmalenberg said that can include both those actively facing homelessness, as well as seniors who have been in recovery for decades.
“Different people are getting different things,” she said. “This is (some) people’s social club.”
Nearly 50 community members filled council chambers for the vote, which followed an hourlong public comment period — one of many lengthy community discussions about the ordinance as it moved from committee to council.
Schmalenberg said she’s been surprised by the attention the project received from the community.
“It’s been such an odyssey,” she said. “I never expected it to be like this.”
While the majority of speakers supported the ordinance, some continued to echo concerns regarding the location of the huts and the safety of the neighborhood.
Council discussion addresses fears and misconceptions
Several members of council tried to address these concerns in discussion before the vote.
In response to fears the huts will draw people from outside the county, Councilmember Jessica Thomas said this is unlikely to happen.
“This fear that it’s just people coming from outside and showing up from all over the country is extremely unfounded,” she said.
Thomas added that the huts, like the Timothy House and Mike’s Bridge House in Athens, will not be drop-in shelters.
According to Schmalenberg, every long-term Gathering Place member goes through an intake process, which includes a background check and needs assessment.
She said those housed in the huts will meet similar criteria as those housed in Mike’s Bridge House, which includes case management, weekly check-ins and drug testing.
Councilmember Micah McCarey said it was important to balance fears about the project with the facts presented by research and professionals.
“When we have really complicated, challenging situations and problems we’re trying to solve, it’s important that we listen to the experts,” he said.
Council members acknowledged there have been some legal concerns regarding the zoning change, but suggested it’s unclear how great the risk of a lawsuit would be.
Mayor Steve Patterson said he did not see a legal dispute as a likely possibility.
“A legal case for spot zoning is typically where adjoining or neighboring properties are not experiencing the same advantage as the property that is being awarded,” he said. “If those adjoining properties would also like to put Conestoga Huts to help people who are unhoused, that would be great … but that’s not what’s being said.”
McCarey noted that if necessary, council has the ability to undo the zoning change in the future.
Residents and OU students continued to debate location and safety
Opponents raised many of the same concerns discussed at previous meetings.
Jack Stauffer, an Athens resident long opposed to the ordinance, argued it needed to be more restrictive and prevent growth of the project beyond three structures.
“Tighten up the law,” he said. “Why let us concerned citizens wonder what this will develop into?”
Schmalenberg said the grant for the huts was written for only three structures, and the organization has no plans to build additional huts at this time.
Local landlord and business owner Brent Hayes expressed concerns about the safety of the huts.
“Why couldn’t these people stay inside The Gathering Place?” he asked. “It would be a lot warmer there and there would be infrastructure there.”
Schmalenberg said The Gathering Place is not currently set up to provide housing, and the building’s rooms do not have adequate spacing for beds or storage.
“This is the whole purpose for building these micro-shelters,” she wrote in an email. “Offering a safe, warm, dry shelter that is lockable and stores the individuals’ bedding and belongings when they are not occupying them and are involved in other programming or work during daytime hours.”
Odhrain Underhill, a masters student at Ohio University and intern for the Athens County Foundation, said the project will ultimately allow people who are already living in Athens to become stronger community members.
“Landlords who fear the effects of these huts may one day rent out their apartments to the people who benefit from this project,” he said.
Location continued to be a point of concern for some, like Ohio University student Aidan Fox.
He said he didn’t believe the location, near bars and student housing, was appropriate. He added that more should be done to support the homeless than structures only accessible at night.
“As a formerly homeless person, I am saying that we need a better solution,” Fox said.
While some have expressed concern about the huts’ proximity to the Athens Middle School, seventh-grader Briar Poore said the location did not make her feel unsafe.
“I don’t feel that them being there will change much,” she said. “Nor bring a threat to my safety. The people that will be sleeping in the huts will only be there during night, not during the day, when school is scheduled.”
Others pointed out that with the approaching winter, the project was urgently needed.
“Set your alarm for 4 a.m. and go sit outside for 10 minutes,” said Daniel West, a peer recovery specialist and member of The Gathering Place. “Then imagine trying to sleep and being able to function the next day.”
Conestoga Huts remain a pilot project, future may hold more solutions
Schmalenberg emphasized the project is still a pilot, intended to be a stopgap effort. Once the huts are constructed and in use, data will be kept regarding the project’s outcomes, which she hopes can inform future efforts to provide housing in the area.
Schmalenberg expects huts will be constructed for shelter this month or by the first week of December.
After a year, she said she’s open to evaluating the location and other ideas community members might have.
“I’m not upset about any opposition,” she said. “I really do believe we can find the right solution together.”
She said she never wanted community members to be upset by the project but had to balance those feelings with what the huts could provide those she serves.
“(It would be) so different from living off the bike path, under a bridge. … I’ve been visiting those encampments for three years,” she said. “I wanted better for people.”
(Editor’s note 11/19/25 10:15 a.m.: The article has been updated to add Ginger Schmalenberg’s response to concerns about the project.)