Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Planning & Development Services

TO:	David L. Corliss, City Manager
FROM:	Scott McCullough, Director
CC:	Cynthia Boecker, Assistant City Manager Diane Stoddard, Assistant City Manager
Date:	April 9, 2009
RE:	Temporary Shelter Text Amendment (TA-04-03-08)

On October 14, 2008 the Lawrence City Commission gave initial support to a text amendment related to homeless facilities that more comprehensively addressed their location and use standards.  The text amendment was requested by the Lawrence Community Shelter to provide flexibility in their objective to relocate within the city and permit shelters in industrial districts with a special use permit. The amendment was broadened in scope by staff to more comprehensively address homeless facilities from the perspective of the Development Code and also to facilitate a program initiated in Lawrence in 2008 known as Family Promise.

On February 24, 2009 the City Commission accepted staff’s recommendation to split the text amendment into two segments – one that would bring forward the portion of the amendment related to permitting shelters in industrial districts via the special use permit process, and the second being to revise the portion related to shelters being permitted in religious institutions and process the revisions through the Planning Commission (tentatively scheduled for the April PC).

The attached ordinance and text have been drafted to address the portion of the amendment related to permitting shelters in industrial districts.  The language has been revised to account for direction given at the February 24, 2009 City Commission meeting, which included simplifying the processes contained in the October 14, 2008 version.  Shelters not associated with religious institutions will be required to obtain a special use permit and will need to comply with all of the use standards outlined in Section 20-544 of the Development Code.  These remain substantially the same as proposed in the October 14, 2008 version, except the following standard contained in Section 20-544(3) was removed from that version because the concept of day centers is no longer proposed and staff believes the matter can be addressed through the special use permit process of identifying the management of the shelter.

Standard proposed for deletion:

4. If not co-located with a Homeless Day Center, an onsite supervised indoor waiting area shall be available to guests at least 1 hour prior to opening.  If co-located with a Homeless Day Center or if transportation between the Type B Homeless Shelter and Homeless Day Center is provided to guests by the operator(s), this standard shall not apply.

Otherwise, modifications were made so that this amendment can stand on its own if the second, religious use-related amendment is not adopted for any reason.

The revised language was provided to the Lawrence Community Shelter on April 1, and to the Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods, the Community Commission on Homelessness, Family Promise representatives, and other known stakeholders on April 9, 2009.

Action Request

Adopt, if appropriate, Ordinance No. 8388 on first reading.