Committee approves conditional use to allow emergency warming shelter at 712 South River Street

The Building Zoning and Economic Development Committee on Jan. 14 approved a conditional-use ordinance to allow an emergency warming shelter at 712 South River Street.

Tracy Bacek, director of the zoning and planning division, told the committee the city is requesting the social-service-agency conditional use to permit an emergency warming shelter at the city-owned site. “The shelter will be operating from November until either, May 1 or the last day with temperatures at or below 32 degrees or whenever severe weather conditions are declared,” she said. The facility is intended to accommodate up to 64 individuals, including staff and volunteers, with guest hours from about 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Committee members pressed staff on operations, staffing and food service. Nicole Malins, chief community services officer, said the shelter uses a combination of paid staff, paid security and volunteers: “They are using volunteers, and they're using staff.” She added the city has contracted security through the organization identified in the record as Becoming Oswego and that staff and security are the largest line items in the contract.

Officials said the CUP was pursued after the shelter operation began in November because the city expects some services beyond basic warming—such as possible on-site food preparation—and the social-service-agency classification better covers those activities. Staff emphasized that any on-site food preparation would need to meet applicable building, health and kitchen-exhaust codes before it occurs.

Malins said the city plans weekly community meetings starting immediately to address local concerns about the contracting process and to coordinate with nonprofit partners providing services and transportation. She said the council-approved budget is expected to cover the overnight shelter operations and required security; additional services beyond the contract are being supported by the contractor and volunteers.

A motion to approve the conditional use was made by Alderman Juan Garza and seconded by Alderman Patty Smith; the committee voted in favor and the motion carried 4 to nothing. The committee recorded that police officers check the site and staff have an ongoing rapport with Lieutenant Hernandez and COP officers. The committee’s approval attaches the CUP to the city-owned property as presented; staff noted the actual operations are concentrated in the building footprint and any required facility upgrades would follow code requirements.

The committee moved the ordinance forward for processing after the vote.