Loveland City Council avoids discussion on further shelter regulations – Loveland Reporter-Herald

Loveland City Councilman Steve Olson’s motion to impose new restrictions on homeless shelters failed Tuesday, but even if it had, it would have had no effect on First Christian Church’s proposal.

Before Olson began work on a new bill calling for changes to the city’s recently adopted homeless shelter regulations, City Solicitor Vince Junglas informed the council that under the city’s Unified Development Code (UDC), the changes cannot be applied retroactively and will not be used to evaluate the city’s planned unit development application for a homeless shelter at 2000 N. Lincoln Ave., which was filed June 27.

“The application for approval of the spatial development plan of a specific site, as well as the approval, conditional approval or rejection of such a plan, shall be subject only to the duly adopted laws and regulations in force at the time of submission of the complete application,” Junglas said, reading out paragraph 18 of the UDC.

The City Council approved adding Section 18 on July 16, despite Olson’s lone dissent. Among other standards, the regulations limit shelters to city business and industrial zones and include four special standards for such facilities, including special fencing and a safety plan requirement for facilities within 500 feet of schools.

Coincidentally, in late May, the Loveland Homelessness Task Force announced plans to purchase the soon-to-be vacant First Christian Church building and convert it into a 24-hour shelter and homeless resource center, pending a feasibility study and PUD approval of a zoning application.

Olson’s wind seemed to run out of steam Tuesday when Junglas informed council members that recusing himself from discussing the new business would be a “prudent approach” to avoid the appearance of conflict when the PUD application goes before the City Council for a quasi-judicial hearing next month.

“As we learned at our last meeting in July, where we considered amendments to the UDC (Unified Development Code) … given the fact that these two items are so close together in time and scope, the tendency of council members and the public to conflate the two in practice is high,” Junglas said.

Seven council members took his advice, leaving only Olson and Councilwoman Dana Foley to discuss. Without a quorum, both were able to hear the item but could not take any action.

Discouraged but undeterred, Olson continued anyway, mostly for the good of the residents who had come to hear the article, he said. But not before berating Junglas for what he called an “unfair” characterization of the article and his advice to exclude him.

“The discussion that we’re having, which I propose to add, has no bearing on the bill that’s in progress,” he said. “So you’ve kind of encouraged people to withdraw over something that has no bearing. So I’m a little concerned that they could hear this position and they could put it to a vote and it would have no bearing on this bill.”

Olson continued by discussing his 15 years of work to combat homelessness and some of the successes along the way, most notably Inn Between, an assisted living project in Longmont that Olson called “wonderful.”

The District 3 representative then spoke about the “many types of homelessness” and the differences between those who want to find a way out and those who don’t.

“I think the community has a responsibility to do everything they can to help these people find their way,” Olson said of the previous group. “Those who aren’t ready — and that’s probably not the best choice of words, but it’s what I came up with — need to be managed.”

He also described a recent tour of the area surrounding the city’s tent camp on South Railroad Avenue, calling it “a mess.”

He added that as a result he had concluded that the Homeless Shelter Code should be amended to introduce further restrictions on where such facilities can be opened.

“After much consideration, I believe it is in the best interest of the city to prohibit shelters along our entry corridors,” he said. “That is U.S. 287 northbound and Taft north and southbound, and U.S. 34 and Colo. 402 east and westbound.”

Foley did not comment on Olson’s proposal, so the discussion ended there. The councilman said he plans to return to the issue at a future meeting.

Originally published: August 6, 2024 at 9:23 PM