BY ALEX CANTATORE
Staff Reporter
City Manager Tim Kerr confirmed last night that, despite last Thursday’s Planning Commission decision to deny a Conditional Use Permit to the Emergency Cold Weather Shelter proposed for 501 S. Walnut Rd., the City Council will likely take up the issue again at the Aug. 12 meeting with the potential to override the decision.
The new, $900,000 facility had been approved by the Turlock City Council in May to replace the past Emergency Cold Weather Shelter site at 400 B St. The current facility was determined unsafe by the City Council due to its failure to meet fire and safety codes.
The Planning Commission, however, disagreed with a 33-member shelter search committee that had determined that the site at 501 S. Walnut was the best possible location for a new homeless facility. The commission questioned both the adverse effect of the shelter on nearby businesses and the proposed site’s accessibility, especially considering its lack of proximity to any homeless service providers.
However, as the Planning Commission is merely an advisory body, the City Council will have the opportunity to appeal the Planning Commission decision at the first meeting in August.
“Ultimately, it’s (the City Council’s) decision,” said Kerr.
Should the council make the decision to grant the Emergency Cold Weather Shelter a Conditional Use Permit and move forward with development, it is conceivable that the project could still open by the planned Dec. 1 date.
The development has yet to go out for bid and construction in the abbreviated, parallel process the city has engineered to attempt to open in time for this year’s shelter season. It is feasible that construction could actually begin before the CUP process is completed, as the structure itself is not in question, merely the usage.
The city had originally planned to pass the facility over to Municipal Services following what had often been termed a two-to-four year run as the interim Emergency Cold Weather Shelter. It is possible, though unlikely, that the facility will be constructed, fail to receive a permit, and fall directly into the hands of Dan Madden, Municipal Services Director.
“I’m waiting in limbo to find out what’s going on, kind of like everyone else around here,” Madden said.
Should the process fall through completely, some members of the Planning Commission advocated the use of the existing facility at 400 B St. by way of declaration of a shelter emergency.
While Turlock does still own the structure the city is currently moving forward to sell the property, as had been ordered by the City Council.
Original plans had foreseen the structure to be sold by this point, but the city has had problems assessing the property due to the assessor’s inability to find equivalent structures to price match. Earlier this week, the city advised the assessor to move forward, considering the property as a warehouse or even an empty lot just to get a value.
While the City Council could still decide to retain the property at 400 B St., it seems equally likely that they will override the Planning Commission decision in order to move forward with the new construction, or that Turlock might not offer a shelter at all this winter. City officials have stated that they have no inkling as to what the council will decide come Aug. 12.
“I’d go broke betting on what I thought city councils would do,” Kerr said.
To contact Alex Cantatore, e-mail acantatore@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2005.
Originally published in the Turlock Journal 7/9/2008.
Retrieved from the Turlock Journal Web site.