Mayor Gloria abandons Kettner and Vine shelter proposal
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The site of the proposed homeless shelter at Kettner and Vine in Middletown. Photo: Andy Keatts/Axios
Mayor Todd Gloria announced Friday he was abandoning his pursuit of 1,000-bed homeless shelter at Kettner and Vine.
Why it matters: Gloria tried to open the city's largest shelter in a Middletown warehouse as part of a plan to reduce street homelessness since the city continues to have fewer shelter beds than homeless people.
State of play: "After a year of negotiations and multiple hearings, we have come to the conclusion that the proposed homeless shelter campus at Kettner and Vine can no longer advance," Gloria said in a Friday statement.
- Since he unveiled it last April, the proposal received a cold reception from city budget analysts and attorneys, and from members of the city council.
What's next: Gloria is shifting his focus to alternative shelter sites, including a mixed-use building on 2nd Avenue the city would have to lease, and two city-owned downtown properties: the old central library and the city operations building near City Hall.
- "Getting people off the streets and out of the riverbed and canyons is not optional," Gloria said.
- City staff will discuss those options at Monday's council meeting.
The intrigue: After voters rejected a sales tax increase in November, Gloria announced immediate austerity measures ahead of a looming budget shortfall, but said he was still pursuing Kettner and Vine.
- In December, Council Member Vivian Moreno criticized including $33 million for the project in a five-year budget outlook that was meant to stress the need for spending cuts.
Between the lines: Critics argued the proposed lease was too expensive — invoking the city's checkered recent history with real estate transactions — but also that the city would be unable to effectively and humanely operate such a large facility.
- Officials had begun to concede that the building might not be able to accommodate 1,000 beds in the first place.
The bottom line: Gloria is still looking for ways to significantly increase shelter capacity, which stood at 1,409 beds when he took office and is now at 1,729 beds.
