Board sides with businesses over temporary shelter
A city appeal board has ruled in favour of business owners who appealed the location of an emergency daytime shelter in the heart of the downtown business district.
However, the decision requires the operation to close at the end of March, which aligns with when the temporary shelter was originally set to close.
The case was heard on Feb. 4, with the decision publicly released at Monday’s meeting of city council. In it, the city’s subdivision and appeals board found the operation, at 616 Third Street SE, didn’t fit with the definitions in land-use bylaw, didn’t fit with the downtown redevelopment plan and had a significant impact on nearby businesses.
The five-member panel ruled the permit should be revoked and operations ceased March 31, which is when the permit would have expired.
Coun. Jamie McIntosh, the only city official on the public board, said the result is a sort of compromise that honours the request of the business owners.
“It was a very divided group of people at the hearing,” he told the News. “But there is a large amount of recognition that this is needed in the community.
“I’m thankful to see a little bit of compassion for this situation.”
March 31 sees the end of provincial government grant funding for the 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. space for homeless Hatters to gather during the COVID pandemic.
Community Housing general manager told the hearing that emergency help for vulnerable populations was badly needed, they were committed to working with neighbours and were already exploring an alternate location.
The shelter, operated by McMan through a grant to the Medicine Hat Community Housing Society, is open to those who use overnight shelters during the cold weather months and during the pandemic, when most other public buildings are closed.
It opened in early January, but at that time the City Centre Development Agency, made up of business operators in the core, said they would appeal the planning department’s permit decision to allow it in a prominent commercial district.
The street is zoned for “downtown mixed use” purposes, mainly commercial and residential, though “community centre” is discretionary use.
Planning staff said there was an urgency to create a space in late 2020, when new health restrictions came in, and led them to OK the “community centre” though zoning rules described as “auditorium, banquet, gymnasium and meeting facilities.”
A host of services from employment help to other social and health-care assistance is offered, but is not technically a “health-care facility.”
Six business operators or property owners testified at the Feb. 4 hearing that they felt the presence and behaviour of those at the site greatly detracted from the area and drove away customers.
Several testified they themselves didn’t feel safe. McMan executive director Tracie Mutschler stated her employees had been in contact with neighbouring businesses about the concerns, had instituted cleanups around the site and engaged security guards.
Some reported damage, panhandling and fights, and felt they had lost business because of it.
Medicine Hat police spokesman stated that the service received 19 calls for service related to the location in the month of January. Many were minor in nature and originated from shelter staff. There was a corresponding drop in calls to the city’s transit parkade where the officer believed the residents would have taken up daylight hours shelter in the stairwell.