Athens public hearing draws residents for and against Gathering Place 'Conestoga huts'; council amends pilot review to one year

Athens City Council on Monday heard more than an hour of public comment about a Planning Commission recommendation to amend the city zoning code to permit up to three temporary housing shelters (often described as “Conestoga huts”) as a permitted accessory use at 7 and 15 North Congress Street, the property of The Gathering Place.

The hour-plus public hearing brought neighborhood residents, Ohio University students, social workers and people with lived experience of homelessness to the podium to urge both approval and denial. After the public hearing the council held a first reading of the ordinance; council members voted to amend the proposal so the service safety director must review and renew the pilot annually rather than every two years.

The proposal would allow “housing structures of a temporary nature that are not affixed to the property and that do not contain kitchen or bathroom facilities,” with infrastructure limits tied to nearby sinks and toilets, according to the ordinance language read into the record. Supporters said the huts would provide short-term safety and connect people already engaged with The Gathering Place to services; opponents said the location — on North Congress near Ohio University…