Public hearing on rezoning for new Jefferson City homeless shelter set for Monday
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Jefferson City Room at the Inn hopes to move forward with possible next steps toward expansion after Monday's city council meeting.
The Jefferson City Council is set to hold a public hearing Monday night over rezoning a vacant building to house a new resource center and emergency shelter.
The tentative location — 107 Adams St. — is a block from the current JCRATI location at the First Baptist Church at 107 Monroe St.
The homeless housing group Housing the Community Jefferson City announced its intent to purchase the Adams Street building in May. Scott Johnston, president of the organization's board of directors, said the hope was to fill the second floor with 30 beds and turn the first floor into a resource center with showers, bathrooms and recreational space.
The 0.44-acre property is zoned Planned Unit Development, which can allow standard zoning rules to be bypassed for mixed housing types. To acquire the building, Housing the Community had to submit a zoning application to the city. In June, the Jefferson City Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-3 not to recommend the zoning change to the city council.
After the vote, JCRATI Chair Sarah Hamilton told ABC 17 News that there was no explanation for the vote. More than 53 people had sent in letters of support, compared to 17 community members who were against the zoning change.
A public hearing was scheduled for Aug. 3, but Housing the Community requested it be delayed to allow time for more conversations between the city and community.
“This includes exploring whether another suitable location exists for the Resource Center and Emergency Shelter and seeking greater clarity regarding the standards that will be used to evaluate our proposal so the process is transparent, fair, and consistent,” the organization wrote in a July news release.
Planning and Zoning Commissioner Bunnie Trickey Cotten, who voted in support of RATI in June, previously told ABC 17 News that the council isn't required to follow the commission's recommendation.
A pending bill to allow for rezoning of 107 Adams St. is set to be discussed at Monday's city council meeting at 6 p.m. Residents are invited to the public hearing at City Hall, located at 320 E. McCarty St.
According to council documents, building renovation plans are included in the application materials. The building would undergo two renovation phases -- first the first-floor day center, then the second-floor shelter. A screened outdoor area is also proposed at the back of the building.
