Key West homeless shelter deal finally completed

BY PRU SOWERS

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

 The deal is officially done.

While Key West and Monroe County officials had earlier agreed to keep the city’s homeless shelter, the Keys Overnight Temporary Shelter (KOTS), in its current location on Stock Island next to the county Sheriff’s Department offices, the final piece of what has been a six-year-long problem puzzle was revealed at the Sept. 17 city commission meeting. 

The city had promised Sheriff Rick Ramsey that it would provide a minimum of 30 affordable housing apartments for his deputies and staff in return for keeping KOTS essentially where it is. But the question of where those 30 units of housing would be located was murky, at best. The city had initially promised the deputies would get first crack at the new, 104-unit affordable workforce housing project being built by the city across the street from the sheriff’s department on College Road. But it turned out that the deputies’ salaries were too high to qualify for the restricted housing.

The city then looked at open space outside of the city where deputy housing could be built. Then it promised it would find multiple parcels within the Key West city limits where 30 units of housing could be located, but didn’t define where those were. 

Now, city commissioners have agreed to transfer a 1.1-acre vacant, city-owned waterfront parcel at 250 Trumbo Road to the county. The square lot, surrounded by other vacant land owned by Monroe County, had been used to store police vehicles but was recently turned into a temporary public dog park. With the land transfer, a rebuilt KOTS can stay next to the Sheriff’s Department and the county can add the parcel to its existing property on Trumbo Road for an even larger affordable housing development, if it chooses.

“It [the deal] was not without a lot of teeth-gnashing and a lot of wrangling to get to this point,” observed incoming Key West City Manager Greg Veliz.

That is certainly the truth. KOTS opened in its current location in 2004 with Sheriff Ramsey assuming the Quonset hut shelter would stay there a few years until the city could find another location. It didn’t happen. Then, in 2013, the next-door Sunset Marina Condominium Association sued the city, saying it didn’t follow its own permitting rules when deciding to install the shelter next to the marina. A judge agreed, ruling that the city must make a “good faith effort” to find another location.

But after trying several options– including a trial balloon quickly shot down that proposed taking over the Bayshore Manor senior assisted living facility – city officials said they simply couldn’t find another suitable location. That led county commissioners last September to issue a one-year eviction notice to KOTS, hoping to force the issue to a resolution. 

In addition to giving the county the Trumbo Road property – which will have to be developed as housing for the sheriff’s department employees regardless of what the county does with the remaining land it owns there – the city will move the homeless shelter a few feet back into the mangroves, allowing more landscaping to be planted between the sheriff’s department and the shelter. The move will also create room to build a “place for holding,” an enclosed space hidden from the road where KOTS clients can wait until the shelter is open for the evening. One of the complaints from residents in the area was that shelter clients often meandered up and down College Road waiting to be admitted.

“That’s going to be huge for the [Sunset Marina] neighbors because that was their number one complaint, as far as I understood it,” said Commissioner Sam Kaufman.

The commission vote to approve the property transfer was unanimous despite a request for a delay from the Steam Plant Condominium Association, which is next door to the Trumbo Road parcel that is being transferred. Jed Molleston, representing the association, asked for the delay to allow association lawyers to look at the agreement to ensure the condo owners will have a say in the design of the project. 

“We would welcome the Sheriff’s deputies and the Sheriff’s employees there next door as long as there is an appropriate plan and an appropriate project there for affordable housing, which we understand is a city priority,” Molleston said.

City Attorney Shawn Smith responded that the resolution was only for the land transfer and any future development will have to go through the normal planning process, which includes multiple public meetings where association members can give their input.

In other business at the commission meeting, retiring City Manager Jim Scholl was honored with a plaque, hugs and a standing ovation as he was thanked for his 10 years of service. Scholl first became manager in 2007 and retired in 2012. He was asked to return in 2014 to replace then-City Manager Bob Vitas, who was fired because he was unable to develop a good working relationship with several city officials. Incoming City Manager Veliz gave an emotional speech thanking Scholl on behalf of both the city and himself personally.

“That’s the beauty of Jim Scholl. He’s constantly teaching even though you and maybe not even he may be aware of it,” Veliz said, adding, “Because of him, I am a much more patient and thoughtful person.”

Both Smith and Kaufman echoed Veliz’ sentiments, saying Scholl’s steady hand strengthened the city’s financial transparency and integrity.

“In 10 years, you leave a legacy in city government,” Smith said.

Scholl characteristically shared the praise.

“Those were kind words about me but this isn’t a one-man job. It never has been. It’s all about the team that we put together,” he said. “This team does good things for this city every day.”

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