CDN 2017-07-10 - Item 2B - Development Agreement and Ordinance - Mary's Place

Browse Search

City of Tukwila Allan Ekberg, Mayor INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM TO: Community Development and Neighborhoods FROM: Jack Pace, DCD Director BY: Nora Gierloff, DCD Deputy Director CC: Mayor Ekberg DATE: July 5, 2017 SUBJECT: Development Agreement with Mary's Place for a Temporary Family Shelter ISSUE Should the City enter into a development agreement with Mary's Place for a temporary family shelter prioritizing Tukwila families? BACKGROUND The City has been approached by Mary's Place and the owners of the vacant former Barnaby's /Chateau Event Center building at the southwest corner of Strander BI. and West Valley Highway to consider its temporary use as a family shelter. The location is in the Tukwila Urban Center — Transit Oriented Development District and has arterials on two sides and the Green River on a third. The southern edge of the site is adjacent to a commercially zoned lot containing a single family house appraised at $1,000. Modest upgrades to the existing building would be required, including construction of showers, a laundry room, refurbishment of the kitchen and installation of two modular buildings for office space and child care. Shoreline and development permits would be required for this work. Mary's Place has been offering services first for homeless women and then families for 19 years. In 2010 they began to provide overnight shelters, some of which are now located in unused buildings converted into temporary emergency family shelters. Currently Mary's Place has six night shelters available for families with children that accommodate a total of 470 family members each night. The funding for these projects comes from donations to the "No child sleeps outside" fundraising campaign. Tukwila City Council members and staff have participated in regional efforts to address the related issues of affordable housing and homelessness, especially in South King County. These issues are of concern to our City as the Tukwila School District has 375 students classified as homeless, over 10% of the student body. DISCUSSION The proposed shelter in Tukwila would accommodate up to 90 residents in one or two parent families that include at least one minor child. The Tukwila Fire Department will make the final determination on the number of residents that can be safely housed. Priority would be given to families who have a last known address in Tukwila. All applicants would go through background checks prior to moving in to screen out any violent or sexual offenders. Services would be offered to residents only, the Tukwila site would not function as a drop in day shelter. 11