Neighborhood Planning Council 1 - Post-Franklin

POST/FRANKLIN NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING COUNCIL Doris Hale Facility 100 Green Street Thursday, October 5, 2023 @ 7:00 PM James Moreno called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. at the Doris Hale Facility. Attendance: Members Present: Pamela Geleff, Andre Hoaglin-Jackson, Ryan Hoaglin-Jackson, James Moreno, Kjersten Sullivan, Yvonne Powell, Pat Shellenberger Members Excused:, Cindy Fritz, LaMarr Mingle, Faye Washington Guests and Visitors: Sherry Sofia, Vice Mayor, Helen Guzzo, City of Battle Creek, Mary Fields Additions or Deletions to the Agenda: None Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes: The motion to approve the September 7, 2023 minutes was made by Kjersten Sullivan, and seconded by Andre Hoaglin-Jackson. Motion carried. Correspondence and Announcements: Post Neighborhood clean-up on Saturday was a good event. October 16th from 2:30 to 5:30 is a Household Hazardous Waste recycling day at Bailey Park. See the Calhoun County website for more information. Committee and Staff Reports Code: Helen Guzzo distributed the Code Compliance report. There is a dangerous building on Vale Street that will be demolished before June. Concern was expressed about junk accumulation at a house on South Ave as well as front yard parking in two locations; specific addresses were provided on a separate sheet. Police: No officer was present. There was concern about the timing of a light on Lathrop and Main. The issue was reported to DPW by Helen Guzzo. Beautiful Battle Creek: The following addresses were presented for consideration: 106 Highway 85 Caine 54 Inn Motion made by Pamela Geleff to approve and seconded by Yvonne Powell. Motion passed. Membership: Anyone who lives, works, or owns property in the NPC is welcome as a member. Commissioner Comments: Sherry Sofia spoke about recent actions of the City Commission. There were recently some zoning ordinance changes to bring the ordinances up to date. The Capital Ave SW bridge is open again (Yay!). Sheep are helping control weeds in rainwater basins. See the city's Facebook page for a video of the sheep at work. Urban agriculture rules were expanded to allow for quail, duck, and bees (chickens already allowed), with minimum lot requirements for each. Transit (bus service) is an ongoing problem, and the biggest hurdle in solving it is a lack of drivers. Anyone who wants to drive a bus is encouraged to apply. The city will help pay for individuals to get their CDL. There is discussion of a county-wide transit system to be paid for with a county-wide mileage. Battle Creek Public Schools: None Old Business: None New Business: Helen Guzzo, Community Development, shared about the progress on a potential new Permanent Supportive Housing development on E Michigan and Elm St. Development would abut to Green St. She provided an update on existing Community Development programs. Minor Home Repair grants will do 100 projects this year. 51 households have applied for paint through the paint program, there is money to pay for about 14 more. On the Permanent Supportive Housing – There are 241 homeless individuals in Battle Creek on any given day, and there is a lack of affordable housing to meet that need. There are about 300 units available, and 600 vouchers issued; demand outpaces availability, and there is a negative perception to a voucher program. There is a plan to partner with Upholdings, an organization out of Chicago, to build 61 units of Permanent Supportive Housing on 6 parcels on E Michigan and Elm St. The City Commission approved the rezoning of the land at their last meeting, they will introduce an Ordinance and Resolution to approve the option to purchase and PILOT on the 17th. Upholding’s has an excellent track record of providing high-end housing with wraparound services to support homeless individuals. Groundbreaking could take place as early as summer 2024, if all goes accordingly. Several questions were asked with regard to staffing, delivery method for supportive services, GAP funding, apartment inspection schedule/protocols, pet clause, application screening, case management – staff-to-client ratio, and removal. A question was asked about a bus trip to see an open house for an Upholding’s property in Indianapolis in late October. There is discussion, but no solid plans are in place. This would be a positive means of showing stakeholders in the neighborhood what they could expect in Battle Creek. Member Comments: Thank you to our visitors and thanks to everyone for coming. Public Comments: None Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 8:18 pm Next Scheduled Meeting: Thursday, November 2, 2023, at 7 p.m., Doris Hale Facility. Respectfully submitted, Kjersten Sullivan, Secretary