Nice idea. Wrong location.
That was the assessment of a proposal to build new housing for the homeless on River Street. The assessment emerged from Wednesday night’s meeting of the City Plan Commission.
Thomas MacMillan File Photo
The proposal surfaced last month, when it was the subject of a special presentation to the mayor and other city officials (pictured). Anti-homelessness activists laid out a vision for a massive multi-million-dollar facility complete with a farm, a health clinic, office space, and housing for 150 homeless people. Organizers had no plan for how to pay for the development.
Organizer Wendy Hamilton submitted to the Board of Alders a request for a hearing on the matter. Her request ended up in front of the City Plan Commission Wednesday.
City Plan Director Karyn Gilvarg offered a couple of reasons the River Street plan wouldn’t work.
First, the land lies within the River Street Municipal Development area, which is set aside for light industrial and manufacturing uses, and has received state and federal funding as such. Development in the area is meant to be focused on jobs and community businesses, Gilvarg said. Deviating from that plan could jeopardize future funding.
Second, the environmental conditions at the site rule out any residential use. “The land is not clean enough to the standards that are required for housing.”
Westville Alder Adam Marchand, who sits on the commission, raised concerns about the proximity to the riverfront, given the prevalence of mental illness among the homeless.
The commission voted unanimously to deny the use of River Street properties for housing and to “direct the submitter to other resources for technical assistance.”