The city’s zoning board granted permission Wednesday for the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness to build a cold-weather homeless shelter at the rear of its existing location on North Main Street.
The unanimous decision was a step forward for the coalition’s plan, but it still needs to go to the planning board before it has all its city approvals.
It’ll also have to raise enough money to buy the 238 N. Main St. property, which it currently leases, and build the accessory structure that would house up to 40 people overnight from December through March. Executive Director Ellen Groh said she expects that’ll cost about $500,000.
After two-and-a-half hours, nearly 40 people remained in the audience to hear the zoning board’s decision. They joined in a celebratory round of applause after the vote.
Although the city has scraped together a cold-weather shelter the past two Decembers for its most vulnerable residents, the host church may be sold before next winter, leaving uncertainty ahead.
The coalition’s plan could be the first permanent resolution to this specific aspect of the city’s safety net since the longtime shelters at First and South Congregational churches closed in 2015.
To operate a homeless shelter in that location doesn’t require a variance, but the placement of the building and the lack of parking does. At least two abutting property owners said they worried that the shelter’s users would loiter on or cut through their land.
Angelo Marrone, who owns the gas station that abuts the property to the south, said coalition staff have been responsive in addressing any issues he’s had, but still he worried that the project could diminish his property value.
“Despite their best efforts, I think there’s some negative consequences to the neighborhood that are beyond their control,” he said. “It’s kind of creating a little homeless district – people do congregate and loiter – and I understand we’re not here to address that right now, but I believe it has created a little bit of a stigma in the neighborhood.”
Nevertheless, when Groh sought a show of hands to signal support from the crowd, the vast majority gestured in favor of the plan.
Groh said she hopes to utilize the Community Development Finance Authority’s tax credit program and New Hampshire Housing’s special needs housing program to help cover the construction costs, with additional help coming from private donors.
“We’re not guaranteed any of those things. That’s just what we’re going to pursue,” she noted. “There are a lot of pieces that need to fall into place for this to work.”
(Nick Reid can be reached at 369-3325, nreid@cmonitor.com or on Twitter at @NickBReid.)