Mayor Gloria abandons Kettner and Vine shelter proposal
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
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.