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Residents urge commission to reconsider Covenant House placement on West Side, cite safety and neighborhood-impact concerns
Summary
Multiple residents used public comment at the April 16 meeting to urge the City Commission to reconsider siting Covenant House services on the West Side of Oakland Park, citing safety incidents and neighborhood-impact concerns.
Multiple residents used the public-comment portion of the meeting to raise concerns about a proposed Covenant House location on the West Side, asking the City Commission to reconsider the siting and to prioritize neighborhood uplift and public safety.
Resident William Barshop said he opposed Covenant House and argued the project would deter West Side development, citing that residents have repeatedly expressed organized opposition: “The West Side now has now, for the first time, really come in as a polarized group, and you have, I think, 789 signatures that say, we don't want this,” he told the commission.
Resident Stacy Norcross said she obtained public records from the Fort Lauderdale Police Department about incidents at Covenant House’s Breakers Avenue facility and told commissioners that, in recent months, staff had required police response for violent behavior and that a resident had been found in possession of an AR-15. She framed those items as reasons to re-evaluate siting: “Is this what we want to welcome to the West Side Of Oakland Park?” she asked. Norcross said she was placing the police reports into the public record for the commission to review.
Other commenters urged continued focus on West Side economic development and neighborhood planning. Eric Peterson, who said he had participated in earlier West Side vision forums, told the commission residents and business owners in that corridor remain eager for investment and asked the city to renew focus on the West Side commercial corridor.
Speakers framed their remarks as public comment and as requests for the commission to engage with Covenant House and potential alternatives; no formal Covenant House action or zoning application was on the meeting agenda and commissioners did not vote on the matter during the April 16 meeting. Several commissioners acknowledged the speakers’ concerns and said staff would follow up on community engagement and data requests.
