Item B1 on the City of San Angelo’s Planning Commission meeting on Friday involves the planned Rock Rose Community Campus to benefit homeless neighbors.
Local advocates for the project say they anticipate some vocal opposition from business owners in the area, which they say is understandable.
Our position is not to be adversarial,” Concho Valley Community Action Agency Director Mike Burnett said.
“We have something called the Community Action Promise, and part of that says: ‘We care about the entire community,’ so we’re concerned about everyone — not just the people we’re trying to help.
“These business owners have concerns, and they are very real concerns, but we want a chance to work with them, and to address those concerns in whatever way we can.”
Burnett said the rash of break-ins at businesses in the area associated with the homeless encampment near Bryant Boulevard and 11th Street have continued to be problem since that area was cleared through abatement.
“Many of those businesses have been broken into consistently, by homeless neighbors, and the once that camp was abated in May of last year, the situation has not gone away; those businesses are still being broken into on a fairly regular basis, from the ones I’ve talked to.
“I’m very sympathetic to their needs, and their situation. This is a very real issue for them, and some of them are dealing with it on a daily basis.
Burnett said he is hopeful the presence of the Rock Rose will actually help alleviate those problems by being a supervised facility, and he also wants to work with area residents and business owners to discuss safety and security.
He also said he and others are working with local law enforcement to help them with their side of the situation.
“This campus isn’t going to house every single homeless person in town,” he explained. “We don’t have room for that; but it will house about 120 of our homeless friends who are working to transition out of homelessness, and that will make it easier for them to police the part of this population that are causing most of the problems.”
“We would also like to develop a Community Security Plan, and work to implement it; we will have security and monitoring at the campus, and if that needs to be expanded and we can reach an agreement, that could make a real difference.
“I don’t know exactly what that looks like, because I am not a security expert, but we will absolutely work with the experts, and try to provide security, not just for the campus, but for the surrounding neighborhood.
According to information from the agenda packet, the request for a planned development with the underlying zoning of General Commercial would allow a mixed used of community services, housing, and accessory land uses on the property at 738-742 West 14th Street.
Thirty-nine notifications were mailed to addresses within a 200-foot radius on July 3. As of July 15, there was one opposed and two in favor and city staff have recommended approval of the request.
The meeting is set for 9 a.m. in the East Mezzanine of City Hall, 72, W. College Ave. and anyone wishing to speak will need to sign up beforehand.
Community Action Promise
Community Action changes people’s lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.
Community Need
According to the city’s agenda report, “there has been a demonstrated community need for non-congregate housing options to be short-term and long-term in our community.
“A centralized community resource center brings an opportunity to help focus on need and support to a community, which at times are left on their own to seek resources.”
Applicable Regulations
The reports also lists several special regulations that have been detailed for the project.
- Except as otherwise specified, the development of the subject property shall generally conform to
the General Commercial (CG) standards allowing Community Services and Household living. - This International Residential Code details the minimum requirements to provide a reasonable level
of safety, health and general welfare through affordability, structural strength, means of egress, stability, sanitation, light and ventilation, energy conservation, and safety to life and property from fire and other hazards and to provide a reasonable level of safety to firefighters and emergency responders during emergency operations. The campus will meet this code with one exception: Hygiene Facilities will be provided for all microhomes/tiny homes along with permitted cooking areas only located at Rock Rose Campus. - The campus must be operated and supervised by the Concho Valley Community Action Agency and/or their designee.
- Offices, services, complexes, amenities, warehouses, agricultural uses and open-park spaces, along with maintenance/storage buildings specifically serving the Campus and the community shall be allowed as part of this zoning.
- Urban Design Review is required to be submitted with each phase of development
- Recreational Vehicles and Manufactured Homes are prohibited
- Intermodal containers are allowed as storage, provided they are screened towards the middle of
the property and used.
