A rendering of the upcoming shelter on the Boulevard.
Eighty more homeless shelter beds are on their way to Ella Grasso Boulevard, with a new layer of privacy.
The City Plan Commission voted unanimously during their latest meeting in support of a pitch by Columbus House, a leading provider of local homeless services, to double their current capacity by tearing down office space and building more beds and bathrooms.
Read in detail about that plan here.
The idea is to knock down Columbus House’s current administrative offices at 592 Ella Grasso Blvd. and construct a three-story shelter that would feature 80 one- and two-person bedrooms, each paired with a private bath. That would be the nonprofit’s first non-congregate shelter model, located next to their extant shelter which accommodates up to 90 people in communal rooms.
“Very few applications get me excited,” land use attorney Ben Trachten, representing Columbus House, told the commission at the Zoom hearing Wednesday evening. “But this is one that’s truly important. It’s not about creating nine residential units. This is something substantial and serves an important purpose for the whole city.”
City Engineer Giovanni Zinn, noting some of the concerns regarding pedestrian safety around the area, noted that the city will be installing new sidewalk along a stretch of Ella Grasso Boulevard in tandem with the development of the new shelter.
Chair Leslie Radcliffe asked whether two outdoor courtyards planned for the property will be public or private.
“I’m trying to be sensitive with my words,” she said, ultimately expressing concern that the courtyards could become gathering grounds for individuals seeking something other than safe refuge.
“That’s an enforcement issue,” Trachten responded. “We trust that Columbus House and their staff can enforce their rules and regulations about who is welcome and who is not welcome, at what times, and in what capacities.”