FORT SMITH -- City directors have again delayed the rezoning for Next Step Homeless Services to construct a homeless shelter community downtown in order to gather feedback from the community.
The new location at 815 S. Sixth St. is near the Oklahoma border, which is surrounded by several industrial businesses.
The directors last addressed Next Step in February when the organization decided to withdraw its request to rezone 1400 S. U St. from commercial heavy to a planned zoning district to place the shelter there. They heard various concerns from the community regarding potentially decreasing property value and increased homeless people traveling to the area to use Next Step's services.
Susan Tucker, Next Step board president, said the decision was made to withdraw the U Street location request due to the negative feedback the group heard from the community.
"We have seen miracles happen where people are given a step up and a real opportunity to better their life," Tucker said. "That first step begins with housing. The Next Step board has decided to pull our appeal on this project. You should know it wasn't a unanimous decision of the board. There were people who felt that our clients deserved to feel proud of where they lived. But as we talked about it, we decided we don't want to put our clients in such a hostile environment."
Tucker noted Next Step has never received complaints from neighbors at its 123 N. Sixth St. location, and the group expected to have the support of the city and surrounding community when it started the rezoning project.
Next Step Executive Director Sharon Chapman said at the directors' study session Jan. 25 the U Street shelter would've provide noncongregate housing with 30 houses maximum at the 3.85-acre property. The people using the service would likely be drug and alcohol free and addressing mental and physical health issues before finding employment and becoming independent, she said.
"We had 88 people last year in our transitional housing program that we have, and we had a 75% success rate of taking those people out of homelessness, which meant to us that when they left us they had permanent housing and they had income," Chapman said.
"And they usually had savings, because we have a savings program with our normal program. So we've had over 15 years of providing housing in Fort Smith, and I believe we know what we're doing and we know how to do it safely and responsibly for our community and add value around our community with the programs that we set up for our different housing."
Rezoning applicant Galen Hunter said the project at 815 S. Sixth St. is essentially the same as what was presented for the U Street location.
Maggie Rice, city planning and zoning director, said Tuesday the Planning Commission held a meeting regarding the rezoning of the roughly 4 acres in March, which was approved in an 8-1 vote. She said a representative for the Kansas City Southern Railroad was present to express concerns regarding litter, safety, foot traffic and vandalism, and requested Next Step build a fence along the perimeter of the property to address these concerns.
Ward 3 Director Lavon Morton requested the item be tabled so the directors could discuss the matter in a study session with Next Step, Hope Campus, the Police Department and the neighboring businesses.
The directors did something similar when Next Step proposed the U Street location, asking over 70 questions before the Jan. 25 study session.
"This is a really complex issue, and as I've said before, we're looking at making a decision that has 30 to 40 years of ramifications," Morton said. "I really think that we need to hear all the commentary that came out at that Planning Commission meeting, and I think we all know that there was also a neighborhood meeting on a conditional use request last week where there were additional amendments to this comment."
Deputy City Administrator Jeff Dingman said the next study session coincides with a Planning Commission meeting, so the next available regular study session is April 26.
At-large Director Robyn Dawson said she disagreed with tabling the item, noting Next Step has gone to the Planning Commission for approval twice now, and the directors have already discussed the project at length. She said she doesn't think there's a location in Fort Smith the shelter can be without having resistance from neighbors.
"We asked Next Step to go back and reconsider an area that was nonresidential. We asked them to consider an area where they found -- and we actually asked them to consider the area they chose. They have jumped through every hoop that the city has put out there for them, they've met every requirement," she said.
Morton said the proposed area has several issues already the city should address.
"Next Step has a proposal that does not create any more issues than there are now, but the businesses need to hear from this board on what we're willing to support to try to help them with these issues while at the same time supporting what Next Step is trying to do," he said.
Tabling the decision was approved in a 4-2 vote, with Directors Morton, George Catsavis, Kevin Settle and Neal Martin voting in favor, and Dawson and Jarred Rego opposed.