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The community debated an ordinance to allow emergency shelters in Athens uptown during a public hearing
By: Amanda Pirani
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB/Report for America) — “Put yourself in their situation … would you allow this to be in your backyard?” asked Aaron Thomas during a City Council meeting Monday evening.
Thomas was one of over 70 community members who packed Athens City Hall to speak on an ordinance permitting the installation of three temporary housing shelters uptown. Council received 13 emails from community members regarding the huts, in addition to spoken testimony which lasted over an hour.
During the public hearing, several speakers expressed concerns with the shelters’ proposed location near the Ohio University campus and student housing. Others emphasized that if the ordinance was not approved, people would be left vulnerable as winter approaches.
“The situation really is truly that dire, people would give anything to, like, sleep on a bathroom floor,” said Athens resident Britta Krisjanis, who reflected on her own experiences with housing insecurity.
The proposed ordinance would alter city zoning code to allow the shelters in the North Congress Street parking lot next to The Gathering Place, an organization that provides daytime services to those experiencing mental health issues. Following the public hearing, the ordinance had its first reading before council.
The ordinance would allow Conestoga Hut emergency shelters
The Gathering Place sought the zoning change in order to move forward with the Conestoga Hut Project, a pilot to provide emergency shelter in three wood and canvas huts first modeled by a nonprofit in Eugene, Oregon.
Ginger Schmalenberg, director of The Gathering Place, came to the Planning Commission with the request after a previously selected location on county property was sold last year.
The huts are designed to be easy and affordable-to-build interim shelters, and do not include heat or plumbing. As part of the proposed ordinance, The Gathering Place would be required to provide restroom access.
That proposed ordinance would allow emergency housing structures in R-3 and B-3 zoning districts city-wide. Councilmembers decided in a meeting last month it will remain in committee to further “massage” the ordinance language.
Speakers debated uptown sites for emergency shelters
The location of the emergency shelters near Athens uptown and the OU campus was a key point of contention during the public hearing.
Retired middle school teacher Chris Newman wrote in a letter to council that he was concerned the huts would pose a danger to students at the Athens Middle School.
“Students as young as 11 years old walk to and from the Middle School down Washington Street every day,” he wrote.
Jack Stauffer, a local resident who organized a group of community members opposed to the ordinance, said the huts should not be within public view.
“There are many locations in town that could accommodate these three huts,” Stauffer said. “If you choose to insist on Congress Street, then it appears that your (City Council’s) intention is a political statement or a political stunt.”
Stauffer added that he does not believe the huts should remain in use upon the completion of the Sunset Motel project, which remains under construction. The project’s estimated completion date is summer of 2026 and will house up to 48 people.
Director of Athens County Public Libraries Nick Tepe said the location was selected because those staying in the shelters will be able to more easily receive services from The Gathering Place during the day.
“A gentleman earlier suggested the public library parking lot as an option,” Tepe said. “If I was able to pay my staff to be available in the way that The Gathering Place folks are available, sure, but I can’t. … Part of the reason for this to be located where it is the services that are available.”
Licensed Social Worker Alicia Castro said in a letter to council that those services are critical for those in crisis.
“It is crucial that folks who are in crisis or unstable situations have access to support, which they can find in the … gathering place as well as transportation and other resources,” she wrote.
Nathan Crowley, a member of the Gathering Place who has previously faced housing insecurity, said that while other options may be viable in the future, the North Congress Street location is an immediate solution.
“They’re out on the streets now. They have no shelter now. This gives them that one step. … This is the best we’ve got right now,” he said.
Neighboring OU students and landlords express opposition
During the public hearing, 10 Ohio University students living in a house next to The Gathering Place said the proposal made them fear for their safety.
“We didn’t know that this was going to happen when we signed our lease two, three years ago,” said Grace Pavich, an OU senior. “We should be able to feel comfortable and safe in our home.”
An email from University Off-Campus Housing, a local rental company, sent to female tenants last month urged them to voice opposition to the proposal. The letter expressed concerns the temporary shelters might affect future student enrollment or decrease students’ sense of safety.
Bryan Wharton, local real estate agent and son of John Wharton, owner of University Off-Campus Housing, wrote in an email to council that he worried the location of the huts would negatively impact OU enrollment.
“Universities all over the state and country have declining enrollment. Why provide more challenges to attract students when we all depend on the university as we do?” he wrote.
Other Athens landlords, such as Kris Cornwell and Adam Mitchell, have previously expressed opposition to the installation of the shelters. Mitchell referenced damage he said homeless individuals have caused to his property.
According to Schmalenberg, the huts will include security measures such as a locked fence, cameras and a staff member on site for 24 hours. In a letter to Council, she added that those living in the huts will have a curfew of 11 PM.
Gathering Place interns Megan Benjamin and Nora Gustafson said that of 34 houses in the affected neighborhood they visited, only two expressed concerns with the shelters. They noted an additional 11 properties did not respond to their outreach.
Some speakers argued students are often the greater source of safety issues. Council Member Solveig Spjeldnes echoed this sentiment.
“Women students are probably more in danger of the male students in college than the people who are unhoused in our community,” she said. “So I think it’s really important that we take some solid steps to help folks.”
Schmalenberg said she intends to prioritize housing vulnerable women in the Conestoga Huts.
During the first reading of the ordinance, she added that those fearful of the individuals who would receive shelter in The Conestoga Huts misunderstand the population served by The Gathering Place.
“People come there to be sober,” Schmalenberg said. “The Gathering Place started 50 years ago serving those individuals that were former patients for mental health and community members. And that’s who we are, we are a social community.”