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Planning commission recommends conditional use permit for YouthWorks transitional housing at 502 and 512 3rd Avenue South
Summary
YouthWorks asked to convert a former assisted-living facility into transitional housing for 18–24-year-olds; staff recommended approval with 10 conditions and commissioners voted to forward the recommendation to city council after neighbors raised questions about staffing, safety and community engagement.
The Moorhead Planning Commission on Feb. 1 voted to recommend that the City Council approve a conditional use permit allowing YouthWorks to convert two former assisted-living buildings at 502 and 512 3rd Avenue South into transitional housing and support space serving people aged 18–24.
Mark Heiner, the executive director of YouthWorks, described the proposal as adaptive reuse of the former Evergreen assisted-living facility and said the project will provide transitional housing and support services for young adults including individual case management, life-skills training, housing navigation and limited drop-in services. Heiner said staff coverage will be continuous, describing daytime staffing of up to 11 employees and one staff person in each building overnight, supported by a 24/7 crisis line; Heiner said the project expects to be operational in "30 to 60 days" if approvals proceed. He reported that YouthWorks already secured core funding from donors and has several federal and state grants, and that the City of Moorhead completed a HUD environmental review with no mitigation required.
Neighbors at the public hearing raised concerns about safety and the impact on nearby properties. A neighbor said downtown Moorhead experiences issues with used needles and other paraphernalia in public areas; another neighbor asked whether residents would be allowed to leave and return and how the program would handle intoxicants or on-premises use. YouthWorks representatives said residents would live independently and could come and go as any adult resident would, that the program does not operate as a reentry program for people with recent incarceration histories, and that staff and partnerships with police and other local organizations would provide supports and protocols to address incidents. YouthWorks said their experience in other cities had not produced an increase in law-enforcement calls and emphasized a focus on safety and neighbor communication.
Commissioners closed the public hearing, discussed the item and moved to recommend approval to the city council subject to the 10 conditions listed in the staff packet. The recommendation will be forwarded to the council for final action.
