This appeal could delay the proposed 24/7 shelter on North College in Fort Collins

A north Fort Collins business owner has challenged the city planning commission's approval of a complex stormwater drainage plan on North College Avenue in an effort to stop or stall a proposed shelter for up to 200 unhoused men.

On Tuesday, Charles Meserlian, owner of Fort Collins Truck Sales, 700 N. College Ave., filed an appeal of the commission's Feb. 15 approval of the Mason Street infrastructure overall development plan including a regional detention pond on the west side of North College Avenue. Meserlian says it violates the city's 2002 stormwater master plan.

It is called the Mason Street plan because Mason Street would extend through the site.

The appeal will be heard by Fort Collins City Council. As of Wednesday morning, no hearing date had been scheduled.

Meserlian, a member of the North Fort Collins Business Association and outspoken critic of Fort Collins Rescue Mission's proposed shelter, said the appeal is intended to stop the Rescue Mission from building on North College Avenue.

The west side detention pond is needed with or without the proposed shelter, but the shelter can't move forward without it, city planner Clark Mapes told business association members Wednesday. That's why approval of the infrastructure plan has preceded the shelter's development plan. Before Fort Collins Rescue Mission fully invests in development, it needs to know the infrastructure will be constructed, he said.

According to plans, the detention pond would be an interim pond dug to a depth required for that parcel. The city would later expand the detention pond as part of its capital improvement projects when it has the money to do so, Mapes said.

The Mason Street infrastructure final development plan is tentatively scheduled to be heard by a city hearing officer in May, Mapes said.

Drainage issues on North College Avenue have been a concern for decades and are the primary reason the west side has been slower to redevelop than the east. Investment on the east side of North College Avenue took off after the Northeast College Corridor Outfall opened, taking hundreds of acres of land out of the flood plain and making it ripe for new development.

Stormwater facilities along College Avenue are full, so the west side needs an outfall for water to drain into. Part of that is also figuring out regional detention that minimizes impacts on individual properties that might redevelop.

Pat Stryker's Bohemian Foundation is donating the land to Fort Collins Rescue Mission, reducing the time and money it will take to get the facility up and running.

That parcel is adjacent to city-owned land, and a land swap between the two entities is in the works to allow for a larger shelter and facilitate the on-site drainage area. City Council is expected to give final approval to the land swap next week.

According to Meserlian's appeal, the overall development plan should be considered incomplete because "there is no evidence provided that the ultimate regional pond is achievable. It is necessary to provide this analysis and evidence at the ODP level to ensure a guarantee to the upstream property owners, stakeholders, that a regional benefit could be satisfied."

During city staff's presentation of the Mason Street infrastructure overall development plan to the Planning and Zoning Commission, "it was stated there is plenty of space for the ultimate regional detention pond. It is believed that this is grossly misleading since there is no evidence or analysis ... that the ultimate regional pond is feasible with the proposed ODP improvements," the appeal states.

Previous coverage: Neighbors want more answers about planned 24/7 homeless shelter in north Fort Collins

It is unclear what impact Meserlian's appeal will have on the mission's Planning and Zoning Commission hearing expected to take place in June.

Fort Collins Rescue Mission continues to work on fundraising and community outreach for the 40,000-square-foot project that will more than double year-round space for men experiencing homelessness. Senior Director Seth Forwood said the Rescue Mission has secured $20 million of the $27 million needed to build the shelter.

The proposed building has two wings around a vestibule and entry, an industrial feel with corrugated metal and a slanted roof. The southern wing will be for day use with a cafeteria, administrative offices and designated area for volunteers. The northern wing will have a second story and house the overnight shelter. The outdoor area on the west side of the building will be surrounded by a secure, 6-foot-tall fence.

The site, one of two recommended by the city's Homelessness Advisory Committee in 2021, is close to other services for unhoused people including the Murphy Center for Hope, Food Bank for Larimer County, Catholic Charities and others.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: New Fort Collins 24/7 homeless shelter could be delayed by appeal