City Council postpones vote on rezoning for YWCA supportive housing

Aug. 27—CLINTON — Clinton City Council last week held a public hearing concerning the rezoning of properties on Sixth Avenue North and North Third Street to allow construction of a YWCA supportive housing structure.

Councilmember Bill Shemers's motion passed to postpone the first consideration of the ordinance until Third Ward Coucilmember Ron Mussmann could be present. Mussmann was absent from Monday's meeting, Clinton Mayor Scott Maddasion explained, due to an emergency health issue.

"The YW has proudly served our community for 108 years," YWCA Executive Director Shannon Sander-Welzien said. "We've adapted and grown over those years and currently the greatest need that we're seeing is the need for those struggling with homelessness. One in three people in our community is at risk of homelessness due to poverty levels. They're living paycheck o paycheck and they're one major illness or job loss that could set their world into a spiral."

State-designated liaison for the Clinton Community School District Rhea Wright said that over 130 students were identified as being homeless by the end of the last school, though she said there are likely 150 to 200 in actuality.

"I can tell you from Camanche's situation that there's a need for us, too," Camanche City Administrator Andrew Kida said. "Within my first year here with my new police chief, that sinking feeling appended when he came to me and said 'we just found a couple people frozen in a storage unit.'"

"That happened in Camanche," Kida added. "If it happened in Camanche, it's happening here."

For approximately two hours, the majority of the public present expressed support for the project, one of only three supportive housing initiatives in the state that the YWCA has been working on bringing to fruition for over a year. Those who expressed opposition were predominantly supportive of the project but opposed to the chosen location.

The ordinance up for consideration would rezone the lots at 304 Sixth Ave. North, 604 North Third St., 608 North Third St., 610 North Third St., and 630 North Third St. from residential one-C classification permitting single-family residential dwellings to general C-2 commercial zoning allowing the three-story, 24-unit structure designed to well-integrate with the surrounding community.

A gas station was operated on a portion of these properties under non-conforming use for approximately the last 40 years. A gravel parking lot currently sits at the northern portion of the properties, an area the YWCA plans to pave and continue the use of for parking if the rezoning ordinance should be approved.

Sander-Welzien stated the YWCA received over 3,000 calls from people seeking services for homelessness in 2022, and that the use of Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, funding obtained during the COVID-19 pandemic helped the YWCA to provide over 5,700 beds to almost 300 people seeking emergency shelter during that time. That funding, however, has ended, leaving a lack of options to provide anyone seeking services hereafter.

In early 2022, the YWCA partnered with Hatch Development Group based in Des Moines and sought county, city, and public input over several months regarding a location for the supportive housing project, ultimately determining the 600 block North Third Street to be the best possible location and one where services can be made available to people affected by homelessness and determined to be the most vulnerable to being affected.

In Dec., the YWCA secured a National Housing Trust Fund grant award of $4.4 million based on the project's site.

"A change of location now, 14 months later," Sander-Welzien said, "would likely kill this project."

Other funding has been accepted from a $500,000 pledge by an anonymous donor, $500,000 from the City of Clinton, and $500,000 of federal ARPA funds from the County unanimously approved at a meeting of the County Board of Supervisors over a year ago, though Erin George now holds a seat on the Board that was then occupied by State Representative Tom Determan. George, at Monday's meeting, expressed opposition to the project.

Dale Todd of Hatch Development Group had submitted grant applications that resulted in the largest award in Iowa Finance Authority history for a project of this nature.

Todd is also a Cedar Rapids councilmember representing a downtown district.

"I have all the homeless people," he said. "And I will tell you this, you will not solve the issue, but you have to manage it, and by not approving this project or this site, they're not going to go away. Your funding will, but your challenges are not going to go away."

The proposed rezoning is consistent with the City's goals to encourage a range of rental housing options throughout Clinton as well as encourage redevelopment or adaptive reuse of vacant or underutilized buildings and sites.

A favorable vote of at least three-fourths of all members of the Council is required to make the change in zoning effective in accordance with Iowa Code. Second Ward Councilmember Cody Seely will be abstaining from participating in the vote.

The next regular meeting of Clinton City Council, at which the vote is intended to take place, is scheduled for Sept. 12 at 5 p.m. in City Hall Council Chambers.