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Plan commission backs Shalom Center operational change, recommends 13 overnight beds
Summary
The commission recommended approval of an operational change for the Shalom Center to permit year‑round overnight sheltering, adopting the fire department’s recommendation of a 13‑bed limit and forwarding the recommendation to the common council.
The Kenosha City Plan Commission on Jan. 8 recommended that the common council approve an operational amendment allowing year‑round overnight sheltering at the Shalom Center, with a recommended maximum of 13 overnight beds based on fire-safety guidance.
Esther Roberts, representing the Shalom Center, asked the commission to permit up to 16 overnight guests in a reconfigured interior (no building expansion). Planning staff said building inspection had tentatively allowed up to 16, but the fire department recommended 13 based on usable square footage and egress calculations under NFPA guidance. Jake Waltz Smith, the fire prevention bureau chief, told the commission that the occupancy number is calculated from usable floor area and egress capacity and recommended the more conservative cap for safety.
Several commissioners urged deference to the fire department’s calculation. "The biggest thing that we're concerned about is not so many people we can cram in there. It's how many people we can get out," Waltz Smith said. Commissioners also emphasized the vulnerability of the population served and the need for staff training; the applicant said it already operates two shelters and has evacuation procedures.
The commission voted by voice to recommend approval consistent with the fire-department recommendation (13 beds). The planning commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the common council, which must take the final action.
