Council delays decision on Aspen supportive housing; will seek alternatives and more vetting

Ogden City Council on a voice vote voted to extend (table) consideration of a proposed supportive housing project at the Aspen site and directed administration to continue working with Weber County, the housing authority and other stakeholders to explore alternatives and address neighborhood concerns. Council Member Myers moved to extend the item; Council Member Hyer seconded. The motion passed on a voice vote.

The discussion followed extensive public comment that split sharply. Neighbors who live near the East Central/Lester Park area said they worried about a high concentration of group homes, proximity to an elementary school and the project—s potential to increase visible drug activity. Jeremy Peterson, a nearby resident, told the council: "The controversy here isn't about having a desire to help others, but actually is about the consequences of how we choose to do that lifting." Emily Taylor, an East Central resident who said she shares a fence line with the proposed site, said the area already struggles with crime and that residents have found human feces and seen break-ins on an adjacent vacant lot.

Supporters said the city needs purpose-built, walkable supportive housing near transit and services. Shardae Jones, a service provider and Ogden resident, urged the council to approve the location because residents "don't have the cars, they don't have the support, they don't have the family members" to travel to dispersed services. Several speakers cited the Solace project, recently opened by Ogden Housing Authority, as an example: the council was told Solace provides 54 units and that an additional 12-unit center is planned on adjacent property.

Mayor Nadolski told the council he would commit city staff resources to seek alternatives and said a broker already identified potential countywide properties using criteria provided by the housing authority. "The council and the community have my commitment to try and get us to a point that is win win," he said, adding that the city needs early, transparent coordination among all stakeholders to avoid repeated difficulties.

Council members said they were balancing the need to house people with concerns about concentration of services and neighborhood stabilization. Several members pressed for more vetting of alternative sites and for ways to preserve grant funding should the council seek a different location. Legal counsel reminded the council that state statute requires council approval before a county housing authority can complete a project in city limits, and that a council decision to reject a project could end the statutory approval path unless the council later reconsiders.

Because the council lacked what some members described as a full complement of votes and to allow additional coordination with county and state stakeholders, members voted to extend the item; no final approval or denial of the proposed Aspen location occurred at the meeting. Council members said they expect follow-up work to include background checks and other screening protocols for residents, a review of staffing levels, and further analysis of proximity to schools and transit.