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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - COMPLETE AGENDA - 11/12/2014 - COMPLETE AGENDACity of Fort Collins Page 1 Karen Weitkunat, Mayor City Council Chambers Gerry Horak, District 6, Mayor Pro Tem City Hall West Bob Overbeck, District 1 300 LaPorte Avenue Lisa Poppaw, District 2 Fort Collins, Colorado Gino Campana, District 3 Wade Troxell, District 4 Cablecast on City Cable Channel 14 Ross Cunniff, District 5 on the Comcast cable system Carrie Daggett Darin Atteberry Wanda Nelson Interim City Attorney City Manager City Clerk The City of Fort Collins will make reasonable accommodations for access to City services, programs, and activities and will make special communication arrangements for persons with disabilities. Please call 221-6515 (TDD 224- 6001) for assistance. Adjourned Meeting Wednesday, November 12, 2014 6:00 PM  CALL MEETING TO ORDER  ROLL CALL 1. Emergency Ordinance No. 164, 2014, Temporarily Suspending the Operation and Enforcement of the Land Use Code and Zoning Map to Allow for a Temporary Overflow Wintertime Night Shelter for the Homeless. (staff: Sue Beck-Ferkiss, Bruce Hendee; 10 minute staff presentation; 15 minute discussion) The purpose of this item is to temporarily suspend the operation and enforcement of the Land Use Code and zoning map to allow for a temporary overflow wintertime shelter for the homeless. 2. Executive Session Authorized. The meeting of November 4, 2014, was adjourned to this date and time to allow City Council to consider adjourning into executive session for the purpose of conducting the yearly evaluations of the Municipal Judge, Interim City Attorney and City Manager. Municipal Judge 45 minutes Interim City Attorney 60 minutes City Manager 75 minutes Note: Times are approximate with breaks, as necessary.  OTHER BUSINESS  ADJOURNMENT Agenda Item 1 Item # 1 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY November 12, 2014 City Council STAFF Sue Beck-Ferkiss, Social Sustainability Specialist Bruce Hendee, Chief Sustainability Officer SUBJECT Emergency Ordinance No. 164, 2014, Temporarily Suspending the Operation and Enforcement of the Land Use Code and Zoning Map to Allow for a Temporary Overflow Wintertime Night Shelter for the Homeless. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to temporarily suspend the operation and enforcement of the Land Use Code and zoning map to allow for a temporary overflow wintertime shelter for the homeless. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Emergency Ordinance. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION While the economy seems to be recovering from the effects of the recent economic recession, the number of people in our community who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless remains much higher than before the recession. The Murphy Center, the Food Bank of Larimer County and other agencies providing “basic needs” services report a consistent elevated overall community need. Catholic Charities Mission located at 460 Linden Center Drive and the Fort Collins Rescue Mission located at 316 Jefferson Street are the two homeless shelters located in Fort Collins. These shelters state they are at capacity heading into the coldest months of the year and have asked the City’s assistance in providing a temporary wintertime overflow shelter. For at least the past 5 years a community collaborative led by United Way of Larimer County, Catholic Charities, and the Fort Collins Rescue Mission in partnership with various members of the faith community have provided overflow shelter in wintertime. The City has supported this effort with funding and facilitation efforts. Some years, this collaborative provided overflow shelter without needing to seek relief from the City zoning and Land Use Code requirements. However, in 2011 such relief was sought and granted to allow the Knights of Columbus Building, at 121 North Meldrum Street, to pair up with the gymnasium at St. Joseph School to provide shelter seven nights a week from November through March. The Knights of Columbus building is located in the Neighborhood Conservation Buffer (NCB) zone wherein homeless shelters are not an allowed use. These facilities are not available for use this winter due to increased events at both locations. This year, Community of Christ Church, at 220 East Oak Street, has agreed to host the wintertime overflow shelter. It too is located in the NCB zone, so the City Council is being asked to temporarily suspend the enforcement of the Land Use Code and zoning map in order to allow an overflow shelter to operate in this location when needed any night of the week. Catholic Charities will manage the operations and United Way of Larimer County will be the fiscal agent. Packet Pg. 2 Agenda Item 1 Item # 1 Page 2 According to historic data reviewed by the two shelters and the plan for coordination of sheltering efforts, the anticipated need this year is for overflow shelter for women. Catholic Charities Mission and the Fort Collins Rescue Mission will work together to shelter men. Catholic Charities will covert one current overflow room for use by families. When all family rooms are full, Catholic Charities will provide hotel vouchers to families with children. This overflow shelter will be available from November 13, 2014 through March 31, 2015 and will serve as the overflow shelter for women only. It will be open from 10PM to 6:15AM daily. Food will not be provided. Catholic Charities rules do not allow drugs or alcohol. No cars will be allowed at this location. A Neighborhood Meeting has been scheduled for November 10, 2014 and a letter inviting participation has been sent to the surrounding area. A summary of the comments from that hearing will be provided to Council as a “read before” memorandum. Two residents have sent responses to the letter in favor of the project, and these will be included in the summary of the neighborhood meeting. It was hoped that an expansion to Catholic Charities Mission with additional overflow beds for men in 2011 would provide enough community wide shelter beds to provide year-round service. Unfortunately, the demand for shelter has continued to outpace the supply of available beds. In wintertime, the danger of succumbing to the elements is extreme and the community wishes to protect those in need. Therefore, the community collective agrees to lead the faith based community partners in a conversation that will culminate in a multi- year plan for winter overflow shelter so this issue need not be addressed annually. The city will help navigate any needed Land Use Codes or zoning changes necessary to allow specific designated faith based community buildings to be used for wintertime overflow shelter as needed. FINANCIAL / ECONOMIC IMPACTS No direct financial or economic impacts on City resources. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS No direct environmental impacts. PUBLIC OUTREACH Letters were sent to 615 property owners in the area explaining the request and inviting participation in a neighborhood meeting on November 10, 2014. Because of the short time span leading up to this request the meeting was unable to be held before these materials were published. City staff will attend the meeting and report neighborhood feedback to City Council at or prior to the reading of the Ordinance. ATTACHMENTS 1. Powerpoint presentation (PDF) Packet Pg. 3 Wintertime Overflow Shelter November 2014 – March 2015 ©Copyright 2014 City of Fort Collins. All Rights Reserved. 1 ATTACHMENT 1 Packet Pg. 4 Attachment1.1: Powerpoint presentation (2575 : Winter Overflow Shelter) Winter is on its way…. 2 ©Copyright 2014 City of Fort Collins. All Rights Reserved. Packet Pg. 5 Attachment1.1: Powerpoint presentation (2575 : Winter Overflow Shelter) ©Copyright 2014 City of Fort Collins. All Rights Reserved. 3 Community of Christ Church Packet Pg. 6 Attachment1.1: Powerpoint presentation (2575 : Winter Overflow Shelter) ©Copyright 2014 City of Fort Collins. All Rights Reserved. 4 Site Location Packet Pg. 7 Attachment1.1: Powerpoint presentation (2575 : Winter Overflow Shelter) ©Copyright 2014 City of Fort Collins. All Rights Reserved. 5 Relationship of Shelter Sites Packet Pg. 8 Attachment1.1: Powerpoint presentation (2575 : Winter Overflow Shelter) ©Copyright 2014 City of Fort Collins. All Rights Reserved. 6 Sue Beck-Ferkiss, Social Sustainability Specialist 970-221-6753 l sbeckferkiss@fcgov.com fcgov.com/socialsustainability Packet Pg. 9 Attachment1.1: Powerpoint presentation (2575 : Winter Overflow Shelter) - 1 - EMERGENCY ORDINANCE NO. 164, 2014 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS TEMPORARILY SUSPENDING THE OPERATION AND ENFORCEMENT OF THE LAND USE CODE AND ZONING MAP TO ALLOW FOR A TEMPORARY OVERFLOW WINTERTIME NIGHT SHELTER FOR THE HOMELESS WHEREAS, in recent years the City has experienced an increase in the number of families and individuals seeking overnight shelter at area homeless shelters; and WHEREAS, the Mission and the Fort Collins Rescue Mission both provide homeless shelter for overnight occupancy, but it is anticipated that both shelters will experience overcrowding during the coming winter season, particularly with respect to women; and WHEREAS, the City has been requested to temporarily suspend the operation and enforcement of the Land Use Code and zoning map in order to allow for the temporary provision of overflow wintertime night shelter for homeless women at the Community of Christ Church building located at 220 East Oak Street upon the condition that the above-described property be utilized for shelter purposes only between the hours of 10:00 pm and 6:15 am from November 13, 2014, to March 31, 2015; WHEREAS, Article II, Section 6 of the Charter of the City authorizes the City Council to adopt emergency ordinances, which shall be finally passed on first reading by the affirmative vote of at least five members of the Council and which shall contain a specific statement of the nature of the emergency. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS as follows: Section 1. That the City Council hereby finds that an emergency exists for the immediate adoption of this Ordinance under Article II, Section 6 of the Charter of the City because of the looming onset of winter weather conditions. Section 2. That the application and enforcement of the Land Use Code shall be suspended as it relates to the operation of a temporary overflow shelter at the Community of Christ Church building located at 220 East Oak Street from November 13, 2014, through March 31, 2015, between the hours of 10:00 pm and 6:15 am. Section 3. That the suspension of the application and enforcement of the Land Use Code pursuant to this Ordinance shall apply only to the operation of temporary overflow wintertime night shelter for homeless women at the aforesaid location in accordance with the terms described in this Ordinance and only when the existing overnight homeless shelters in the City known as “The Mission” and the “Fort Collins Rescue Mission” are unable to accommodate additional persons. Packet Pg. 10 - 2 - Section 4. That the City Clerk is hereby directed to cause the publication of this Ordinance in the Fort Collins Coloradoan no later than November 19, 2014. Introduced, considered favorably by five (5) members of the Council of the City of Fort Collins and finally passed as an emergency ordinance and ordered published this 12th day of November, 2014. _________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _____________________________ City Clerk Packet Pg. 11