Homeless shelter design riles commissioners
BY PRU SOWERS
KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER
Hoping to light a fire under hesitant Key West city commissioners, a landscape architect working pro bono has presented a possible design for a new homeless shelter to be located on the site of the former Easter Seals building on College Road.
Architect Keith Oropeza presented design drawings to commissioners at their Tuesday, Sept. 16, meeting. He said he had been working on the concept for approximately a year, after being tasked by City Planner Don Craig to help with what has become a thorny issue for commissioners. The city is under a rapidly shrinking deadline to find another location for the current Keys Overnight Temporary Shelter (KOTS), also on College Road, after losing a lawsuit filed by nearby property owners at the Sunset Marina. So far, commissioners have been unable to agree on a new KOTS location.
The Easter Seals building site was second on a list of possible locations proposed by the Key West Planning Board earlier this year. But after Commissioner Tony Yaniz said he wanted to put affordable workplace housing on that site, the conversation stalled.
Mayor Craig Cates, who, along with Interim City Manager Jim Scholl, had been copied on Oropeza’s plans as they evolved, said the purpose of the drawings was only to see how a new shelter might work on the Easter Seal site. Oropeza’s plan called for a 2,500-square foot facility with three separate shelters for men, women and families. Each shelter would be a post and beam, open-air concrete slab under a roof, with vinyl side walls that could be rolled down during storms. Showers and a food service trailer would also be available on the site.
“Real, real simple structures here at this point,” Oropeza told commissioners. “A roof, some fencing, some shade cloth and that’s it. This is by no means a luxury facility.”
Most of the facility would be shielded from College Road by landscaping, he added.
Two commissioners, Yaniz and Mark Rossi, said they would not support moving KOTS to the Easter Seal site.
“My constituency does not support a homeless shelter in any way, shape or form on the Easter Seals property,” Yaniz said.
“From my constituents, I can’t support it. It’s very rare that I get this amount of phone calls. I have to listen to what people are saying,” Rossi said.
But City Attorney Shawn Smith warned commissioners that time is running out for them to make a decision as required by the court-enforced agreement between the city and the Sunset Marina property owners. That agreement was approved on Oct. 14, 2013, and the deadline to have a proposed development plan before the city Planning Board is Feb. 26, he said.
“The city has not progressed this much at all, as of late. Nothing has been brought forward. You have to make a decision,” Smith told commissioners.
Commissioner Teri Johnston agreed.
“The clock is ticking. We need assisted care. We need affordable housing. We need KOTS. We’ve got to do all three,” she said.
But Rossi and Commissioner Clayton Lopez argued that Key West should not have to pick up the entire bill for providing housing and other services to the homeless. Although Key West officials met with Monroe County commissioners earlier this year, county officials were clear they would not help build or maintain a homeless shelter because most of the county’s homeless congregate in Key West. That position has infuriated several commissioners.
“This is not just a Key West problem,” Lopez said. “The end game becomes a city of Key West problem solely because of the geography. The fact we are getting no cooperation from our [Monroe County] siblings in this fight is hampering all our efforts.”
While that may be true, Mayor Cates said, the fact remains that the city is obligated not only legally but morally to offer assistance to the homeless.
“There are a lot of homeless who want help and need help. There are a lot of homeless who work every day, [who] go out and do jobs,” he said, adding that only a small percentage of the city’s homeless are drug or alcohol addicted.
“This ball has been kicked down the road far enough,” agreed Commissioner Jimmy Weekly. “It’s time we step up to the plate and do what we’re elected to do. Whether it’s popular or not, we have to do it.”
[livemarket market_name="KONK Life LiveMarket" limit=3 category=“” show_signup=0 show_more=0]
Thank you; this was much better reported here than in the Citizen.
What is wrong here?? NO AFFORDABLE HOUSING!! But yet we can build a homeless shelter and a new animal shelter!!???!! Raise city and county property taxes so the renters can foot the bill that they are already paying off homes of Realtors!!?? It is bad enough we foot the bill for the tourism industry with their use of utilities, trash and destruction. What the hell is wrong with these commissioners and the Mayor. Over it! We need to start raising hell, at these candidate and city and county meetings, in the newspaper. Lets find out about what tax breaks and other benefits all these immigrants are getting. Look at what they are driving!!!