We believe this puts Louisville in the minority of cities that don't include these important rules. Today, the vast majority of beds and services in our city exist in 3 or 4 zip codes and it's our prediction that they will now continue to do so. This is bad for our social service recipients and homeless residents and it's bad for neighborhoods.

As this concerns the Original Highlands neighborhood and Wayside, it will be interesting to see what comes next. Nina Moseley has told us that Wayside is happy operating in the old Hotel Louisville location. However, everyone knows that JCC wants that building and it wasn't Wayside's first choice. We feel that if you must operate a mega-shelter, the Hotel Louisville location is about ideal. It was built for high-density occupation in an area that is ideal for high-density operations. We hope they will have a long and successful history of operations at that location.

Likewise, we'd like to give a shout-out to all of the other wonderful groups in our city that provide for our most needy... Family Scholar House, the Center for Women and Families, Home of the Innocents, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, etc. May we all live to see a day where none of our fellow brothers and sisters are homeless or in need.

Monday, 10/4/10
(A letter to councilman David Tandy and various neighorhood associations)

I didn't know if you'd seen this yet... Smoketown has just ranked as the 14th most dangerous neighborhood in America: CLICK HERE

The concentrated poverty and social problems that we have at Sheppard Square (and to a somewhat lesser degree in Shelby Park) are a large part of this. Hopefully the federal grant will come soon and allow for it to be converted to a Hope VI (or one of the promising, newer programs).

In the same vein, the coming Metro Council vote will give our city an opportunity to not repeat these same mistakes with our shelters and transitional housing facilities. We must discourage extremely high density and clustering of these operations for both our residents who need these services and the neighborhoods who house them. Including reasonable density/population caps and separation guidelines in the transitional housing and shelter zoning rules will allow us to avoid repeating the same errors from our past.

Thurs, 9/30/10
Louisville is blessed with a wealth of excellent social service providers and shelters. We're also lucky to have a new and mostly outstanding proposal of new zoning rules for these very same organizations. However, without two critical and common clauses in this new zoning proposal we will be adopting a seriously flawed set of rules.

Today, in front of a meeting of the Metro Planning Commission, the OHNA presented its objections to the proposal put forth by the Homeless Shelter Task Force. We're happy to say that in regards to our request for appropriate licensing and regulations, and ideally via 3rd party inspectors, it appears that some progress on this front is being made. Licensing and regulations for shelters and transitional housing facilities and services will be taken up in a new discussion separate from the zoning rules proposal. We applaud this action and are extremely happy that as an issue it is still alive and well. Appropriate licensing and inspections will provide us an assurance that our residents most in need are being appropriately cared for.

The new zoning proposal, sans licensing and inspections, was adopted without amendments and now proceeds on to the Metro Council. Unfortunately, there remain two extremely severe omissions. The proposal, despite commonly accepted practices seen in the vast majority of other cities, includes no consideration of maximum density (or population "caps") under a single roof, nor any consideration whatsoever to "clustering", the practice of locating numerous service providers in a small area. What this means is that, if adopted as is, Louisville could have a 500-bed shelter, directly next door to an 800-bed rehab clinic, which itself is next door to a 300-bed halfway house, which in turn is next to your single family home. There's something severely flawed here.

Why is this a problem?

"... if a neighborhood came to be largely composed of groups homes, that could adversely affect individuals with disabilities and would be inconsistent with the objective of integrating persons with disabilities into the community" ... and ... "A consideration of over-concentration could be considered in this context" - U.S Dept of Justice, 2008

Our transitional housing and shelter providers frequently remind us that our homeless come from every zip code in our city, and this is true. And it's also true that most of us are only a few paychecks from homelessness ourselves. We're a city of 30+ zip codes... so why is it that the vast majority of beds and services are concentrated in just three or four of these? Without density caps, and without the dispersal that separation guidelines / buffer zones provide, we run the risk of repeating the same, old mistakes. Our homeless residents and our neighborhoods deserve better than this.

Write to your councilman/woman today and ask that a reasonable density cap and separation guidelines be established when the shelter and transitional housing proposal comes before them.

DENSITY EXAMPLES: New York has a 100-bed-maximum shelter size. Lawrence, Kansas has a 15 person maximum. Lacy, Washington has a 40 resident maximum. Denvery, Colorado has a 350 bed maximum and no more than 950 beds in any one council district. Mesa, Arizona has a 50-bed maximum. Cincinnati, Ohio limits sleeping facilities to 65 plus the addition of a "good neighbor" plan. Click here for more examples and sources. (NOTE: By comparison, the guidelines accepted by the planning commission today will allow a 700+ bed shelter under one roof at the old Mercy Campus.)

SEPARATION EXAMPLES: Cleveland, OH, 500ft from any residential zone. Broward County, Florida, 500ft from any residential zone. Miami, Florida, 2,500 feet from any other like residential care facility. Toronto, Canada, 820 feet, any homeless shelter from another homeless shelter. Elko, Nevada, 1320 feet, halfway house from another such facility. Anchorage, Alasak, 1000 feet, residential care facility from existing facility. Detroit, Michigan, 3,000 feet, homeless shelter from other homeless shelter. San Diego, CA, 1/4 mile, homeless day center from an emergency shelter. Sacramento, CA, 1,000 feet, small and large shelters for adults from any other temporary residential shelter. For 30+ examples and sources, click here.

To our knowledge, nothing more has been accomplished in rectifying the most egregious problem with the proposal. Namely, that the formula used in determining shelter size is ridiculous. The example most close to this neighborhood's heart is of course the old Mercy campus. The formula, as proposed, would allow over 700 temporary homeless residents to be housed under a single roof right in the middle of a traditional, residential neighborhood of 1,000 houses. If someone doesn't think this is a problem they're not exercising basic foresight. If planning and design wishes to continue to use the formula proposed, we want to see a maximum/cap of 100 beds (identical to New York's own zoning rules) and buffer zones applied so that no one neighborhood has to face the full, negative impacts from any current or future mega-shelters.

Tues, 6/8/10
The documentation utilized by New York was requested. You can now download their Clent Rights and Responsibilities Desk Guide and their Clent Rights and Responsibilities flyer. It's worth mentioning again that New York has a 100-beds-per-shelter MAXIMUM as part of their own zoning rules, a guidelines that would be wise for other cities to acknowledge.

Also, we've recently learned of a couple of other groups dealing with their own zoning challenges. A shout out to ABetterSite.org (Chapel Hill) and the Camp & Julia coalition (New Orleans).

Sat, 5/15/10
This past week saw two meetings relevant to the homeless shelter land development code recommendations made by the "Homeless Shelter Task Force". The first was Tuesday evening when the Louisville Coalition of Neighborhoods met and Jack Francis was kind enough to outline where the LDC amendment process was and what the next steps are to be. The second meeting was Thursday's presentation by the planning committee to vote on whether to move ahead with presenting the task force's proposal to the Louisville Planning Commission. The vote was a "YES" but I'm happy to say that a number of the committee members asked that points that we specifically made in our presentation that day be included in the debate once this reaches the committee level.

Our presentation consisted of a 7 page paper, two of which outlined the three severe problems that still exist with the LDC proposal and the remaining 4 pages include examples of how other cities have dealt with this issue. Please download the full paper by clicking here to see all of the supporting material and examples, including 32 different cities which have included separation/buffer zone rules as part of their development code. The lack of any separation/buffer zones in the proposal as it stands today is an egregious omission and must be included if we're to have a comprehensive and fair LDC amendment.

1. THE DENSITY FORMULA IS FAR TOO HIGH FOR TRADITIONAL NEIGHBORHOODS - The density of homeless shelters and transitional housing, especially as it relates to OR-3 zones, is far too high. The formula used is problematic, as it converts dwellings used in the zoning designation to numbers of people or beds. For example, the formula of 400 beds per acre for OR-3 areas could have Mercy (1.76 acres) hosting a 700+ bed homeless shelter. This standard is different than what is used to assess the density of other residential developments, such as apartments. Using this logic, a neighborhood like ours with OR-3 or R6 zoning could be subjected to a 700+ bed motel, as well as a 700+ bed homeless shelter, which would greatly impact and be extremely damaging to the neighborhood. It's important to note that this is only truly a problem when you have very dissimilar property uses and densities directly adjacent to each other. In the example of the Mercy Campus, above, there exists a single-family house directly adjacent to Mercy. Having a 700+ bed housing facility directly adjacent to a single-family dwelling shouldn't be allowed.

   Solution 1: Form Districts as part of the multiplier
   It's been suggested that Louisville's form districts might provide one possible solution, perhaps by applying an additional multiplier to the suggested density formula. I.e. a fractional multiplier is applied in more sensitive, residential form districts all the way up to a multiplier of one (1) for zones that do not exist in sensitive form districts.

   "Form district regulations govern the design of permitted uses and land activities to ensure compatibility with adjacent uses and activities, adequate transportation access, and preservation of the public health, safety and welfare."

   Solution 2: Buffer Zones
   Another potential solution would be to include "buffer zones" between extremely dense shelters and transitional housing facilities and low-density residential streets. i.e. No facility containing over XX beds would be allowed within XXX feet of single-family homes. However it is handled, the density that is allowed in the Mercy Campus example above should make it clear that there still remains work to be done. Please see DENSITY LIMITATION EXAMPLES on page 3.

2. LICENSING MUST BE IN EARNEST AND MANAGED BY CITY GOVERNMENT - The requirement that facilities only be compliant with the Quality Assurance Surveys (QAS) as administered by the Coalition for the Homeless is entirely inadequate for shelters and neighborhoods. Inspections, Permits and Licensing (IPL) and similar agencies should be involved to guarantee that our shelters and transitional housing facilities are:

   * safe and humane and include access to basic necessities including hygiene products
   * structurally sound with the same attention, if not more, to fire and building codes as other high-density motels/hotels
   * that any kitchens receive the same attention, inspections and ratings as other public food facilities
   * and most importantly - are adequately staffed by professionals who are qualified to successfully deal with the needs of our homeless population. We believe that the unofficial recommendation (from the St.John Center?) of 1 full-time, certified social worker per 18 residents (1x18) should be codified.
   

   The QAS might however serve as a good starting place for new IPL licensing requirements and there should be full transparency and serious penalties available for non-compliance, including a loss of license. No new developments should be allowed until a serious and final licensing plan is crafted. Please see LICENSING EXAMPLES on page 3.

3. THE PROPSAL DOES NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT CLUSTERING OR SEPARATION OF FACILITIES

   "…if a neighborhood came to be largely composed of groups homes, that could adversely affect individuals with disabilities and would be inconsistent with the objective of integrating persons with disabilities into the community" …and… "A consideration of over-concentration could be considered in this context" - U.S Dept of Justice, 2008. Also see Cincy proposed amendments, p.38.

   Many cities have included separation and distance guidelines for social service facilities. We believe that a policy that spreads our social service facilities throughout our community is far more advantageous than one that concentrates them together. As such, we would like to propose that halfway houses, transitional houses, shelters, community service centers and treatment facilities are separated from each other by 1,000 to 2,000 feet in order to prevent over-concentration in any given neighborhood. Alternately, they could apply for a conditional use permit if there is good reason to be grouped closer together. Please see BUFFER ZONES & SEPARATION EXAMPLES beginning on page 3.

How to Protect the Homeless from Unsafe, Unsanitary, and Dangerous Shelters: Creating a Win-win for All!
- By John I. Gilderbloom, Professor Urban and Public Affairs, University of Louisville, May 12, 2011

The Most Dangerous Place in a City: Planning and Regulation of Emergency Homeless Shelters in 100 North American Cities* - By , John I. Gilderbloom, Suzanne Gessler, Zachary E. Kenitzer, Margaret Wuerstle, March 13, 2010

Mon, 5/10/10
The Planning Committee of the Louisville Planning Commission has a meeting scheduled for this Thursday, May 13th, 10am @ the Metro Development Center, 444 S. 5th Street, Room 101. The only item on the agenda for committee review is amendments to the LDC regarding homeless shelters.

Wed, 4/7/10
OHNA has read the proposed draft from the "Homeless Shelter Task Force" and has found serious problems with this proposal. Our letter to our Councilmen is below and you can retrieve a copy of our neighborhood alert letter by clicking here (PDF format).

It is imperative that you read this proposal and then add your comments so that your voice is included in the final consideration. Please also contact your councilmen/women to let them know how they can help improve this change to our land development code. You can use the TAKE ACTION NOW link for more contact details.

Dear Tom & David,

As you know, OHNA has been closely following the progress of the "Homeless Shelter Task Force" that was formed to create new LDC recommendations around homeless shelters and transitional housing facilities. Their draft proposal came out on Friday and, if enacted as proposed, bodes badly for our neighborhood due to the density that would be allowed (over 700 occupants) at the old Mercy facility and any other Louisville neighborhood with similar high and low density zones adjacent to each other. We feel that a far more appropriate number, for any one facility in our neighborhood, would be 50 or less. This is not to say that we are entirely opposed to mega-shelters housing hundreds of our homeless residents, and indeed, we feel that if such facilities must exist under a single roof, the old Holiday Inn and other intense commercial zones are a good location for mega-shelters. The problem is that small, low-density, traditional neighborhoods are not the place for such large facilities.

We believe that slight modifications to this proposal would not only protect the Original Highlands from an over-sized negative impact at Mercy, but would also serve to protect every neighborhood in our city as well as the residents of our homeless shelters. The modifications we're proposing can be summed up this way and are explained further in the attached letter:

• The population density in the task force proposal, especially as it relates to OR zones, is far too high.
  
• There needs to be independent oversight of shelters and transitional housing facilities and the Coalition for the Homeless does not qualify as a truly independent agency. Furthermore, their "QAS" surveys do not provide either the transparency, standards or penalties for non-compliance which we apply to other public housing, restaurants, health care facilities, etc.
• We must have "buffer zones" to prevent extremely dense housing (and shelters) from going in directly adjacent to low-density and single-family housing. We have seen requirements for "buffer zones" in other cities (Chicago I believe) LDC so we believe there is precedent for this. These buffer zones also applied to shelters themselves so that you didn't have a "cluster" of shelters together within two blocks of each other, thereby creating a large impact in any one area regardless of zoning.

Please find attached OHNA's official letter to our neighborhood, outlining the above objections in more detail and also noting that we wish to proceed immediately with our previously planned "down-zoning" of the East Broadway corridor in order to avoid any similar situations in the future.

We would like to now ask for your assistance, both in improving this suggested change to the LDC and in assisting us in the down-zoning process, pointing us to appropriate resources and contacts, etc.

Your time and attention, as always, is greatly appreciated by all of us!

Best regards,

Chuck Burke
President, Original Highlands Neighborhood Association

CC: Original Highlands Neighborhood Association Board

Sat, 4/3/10
The CJ reported today that the draft proposal from the "Homeless Shelter Task Force" is now available for public review and comments. You can see the Homeless Shelter Task Force web site here and their draft proposal here.

Of immediate concern to our neighborhood is how this impacts the potential density of any mega-shelter allowed at the old Mercy campus. We will parse this information and provide our best understanding shortly.

NOTE: Our neighborhood association was not allowed to participate in the task force.

Fri, 2/12/10
Please find below an invitation from Rhonda Karageorge, the commercial realtor with the Mercy property listing. I will be attending, and I encourage anyone interested to do the same.

It is odd though that this is happening, considering that there is still an ongoing court case/appeal in which Wayside, the Coaltion for the Homeless and the Sisters of Mercy are attempting to overturn BOZA's ruling that Wayside's mega-shelter would be an inappropriate use for the Mercy facility (far too large and dense).
- Chuck Burke
President, Original Highlands Neighborhood Association
_____________________________________________________________

Media Release: For Immediate Release
Contact: Rhonda Karageorge
Commonwealth Commercial Real Estate
Cell: 502-744-9175
E-mail: rk@ccre.biz

Topic: Neighborhood Charrette - Old Mercy Academy Building
Where: 1176 East Broadway
Date & Time: Sunday, February 21, 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The public is invited to participate in a "Neighborhood Charrette" at the Old Mercy Academy, 1176 East Broadway. This charrette (a charrette is an intensive 'focused' design process to create a project in a limited timeframe) will feature local architects and other urban design leaders who will consider alternative uses for this now vacant school structure. Mercy Academy relocated in 2007 to its new campus on Fegenbush Lane, and this 80,000 square foot structure has remained empty.

It had been considered as a possible home to Wayside Christian Mission until that organization purchased the old Louisville Hotel at Second and Broadway. This design charrette will evaluate several other possible functions such as serving as another school use, maybe residential, perhaps a community center, or some other viable alternative.

Residents of the surrounding area are welcomed to participant in this process. For more information, contact Rhonda Karageorge, 502-744-9175

Mercy Academy, founded in 1885, is a private all-girls secondary school located in Louisville, Kentucky and sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy. It is nationally recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a BLUE RIBBON School of Excellence. Ninety-eight percent of Mercy graduates attend colleges and universities across the country. In addition, Mercy has 6000 alumnae worldwide. With 540 students in grades nine through twelve and a teacher/student ratio of 14 to 1, Mercy is known for its educational innovation and excellence.

Wed, 1/27/10
We received this letter today via our contact page:

FROM: U R KIDDING,123 MAIN IDEA,40208,XXXXXXXXXXXXXX@hushmail.com
U SOUND LIKE THE VOICE OF THE OLD LOUISVILLE I KNOW...SLAVERY MINDED DO U WANT SOMEONE TELLING U AND EVERYBODY U KNOW [N YOUR PRESENT STATE] WHERE U OUGHT 2 LIVE
JUST LIKE FORCED BUSING. JUST LIKE SMALL MINDED U R TRYING TO PUT OTHERS AS SLAVES WHEN U R THE REAL SLAVES...CHRIST CAME THAT WE WOULD HAVE LIFE AND HAVE IT MORE ABUNDANTLY...THE THIEF CAME TO KILL, STEAL, AND 2 DESTROY U HAD BETTER PRAY SOMEMORE AND IF U R CHRISTIANS I WL TELL U WHAT THE HOLY GHOST TELLS ME WHEN I AM ABOUT TO DO THAT DEAD DEED; GO BACK AND STUDY!

Our response:

Dear U R KIDDING,

OK, let me pose some questions to you:

• Should hotels and motels, regardless of their size, be allowed to operate on any street in our city? They currently cannot, but from what you're saying, we are infringing on a basic human right by NOT allowing a hotel to be built anywhere?
• If the above is akin to slavery, should we stop policing where industrial parks and manufacturing facilities are also located?
• How about power plants... would it be appropriate to place one in the middle of your street. It will create jobs after all, and jobs are necessary, are they not?

My point here is appropriate zoning. We have zoning rules because it's important to make some sense out of where things are placed. Zoning prevents crazy things from happening like a Walmart being placed in the middle of a street of single family homes, or a large power plant being placed in the middle of an apartment complex, or a 300 room hotel being placed next to your single family house.

If I or my neighbors had wanted to live next to a 300 bed hotel, we would have built a single family house next to a huge hotel. (How many people would choose to do this??) We did not do this because no one in this neighborhood wants to live next to a 300 room hotel. We moved into a low-density residential neighborhood and we have a vested interest in it remaining that way. (NOTE: This doesn't even begin to discuss the additional negative impacts that a shelter has over a large hotel.)

OK THEN, WHERE IS WAYSIDE TO FIND A HOME?? - If Wayside wishes to operate a 300+ room shelter then they need to be exactly where they are today, at the Hotel Louisville property. Alternately, any property that is zoned appropriately for a hotel or motel of similar size would also be fine. We fully support Wayside at the Hotel Louisville location but we will continue to resist any outrageous claims that the Mercy location is an equivalent, because it is not.

Best regards,
Chuck Burke
Original Highlands Neighborhood Association

PS. Kudos to you for comparing a city zoning issue to slavery! Your incredible flare for the dramatic is duly noted.

Thurs, 1/14/10
* A correction to the previous post... apparently the discrimination claims and addendum to the court appeal has come from the Coalition for the Homeless, not from Wayside. The Coalition is therefore joining Wayside in the court appeal. It's worth noting that Wayside's COO, Nina Moseley, is a director at the Coalition for the Homeless.

We'll go on the record right now and say that this is both offensive to us and patently ridiculous. Claiming discrimination does nothing but obscure the real issue here. Wayside and the Coalition should stop their ridiculous machinations and acknowledge that there is one, and only one, issue at play here. SIZE AND DENSITY.

Since the real issue continues to be obscured, we'll just have to continue to repeat ourselves: Putting a 300+ bed homeless shelter next to a single family house is outrageous. Wayside's proposal to put a mega-shelter in the middle of a low-density residential neighborhood is outrageous and it completely disregards the scale and proportion of our zoning and neighborhood.

With that said, we'll state again that the Hotel Louisville property, which is zoned commercially, and therefore an ideal location for high-density hotels and motels, is an ideal location for Wayside's mega-shelter.

* Task Force Update - The Homeless Task Force, created by Planning & Design at BOZA's recommendation, has its second meeting tomorrow, January 15th. Dr. John Gilderbloom, Counsellor Stephen Porter and I were all removed from the task force prior to the first meeting. The reason given was conflict of interest due to the pending litigation/appeal that Wayside has undertaken. There are a couple of problems with this though:

• Dr. Gilderbloom resigned from the OHNA (Original Highlands Neighborhood Association) board prior to Wayside's appeal. Furthermore, he is one of the city's leading experts on homelessness.
• The Coalition for the Homeless has joined Waside's appeal and they are represented on the Task Force

Fri, 12/14/09
As mentioned here previously, Wayside has appealed BOZA's previous ruling that the Mercy campus is an inappropriate location for their mega-shelter. (Most cities do not allow large shelters to operate in primarily residential neighborhoods.) This appeal takes place in circuit court.

Wayside has now filed an Amended Complaint bringing in all kinds of defenses relating to federal civil rights and disabilities legislation. Due to this, BOZA is recommending that the entire case be moved to federal court where this sort of thing is best handled.

We'll wait and see what happens next.

Fri, 12/4/09
The other shoe has dropped. A letter arrived yesterday informing me that I would not be allowed on the committee tasked with homeless shelter zoning suggestions. The CJ today published a list of everyone who will be on the committe (you can read it here) and sadly, Dr. Gilderbloom was not included either despite being one of the city's foremost experts on housing and community development. My response to the Planning Commission is shown below:

Dawn et al,

I received your letter yesterday informing me that I wouldn't be allowed on the committee tasked with suggesting new rules and regulations for shelters and transitional housing facilities. I'm disappointed as I believe I have a unique and (now) informed take on many of the issues facing shelters, neighborhoods and co-existence.

Despite this, I did want to at least communicate a couple of points to those who will be on the task force before you begin your deliberations:

1. One afternoon's research showed me that a clear precedent in U.S. zoning rules has been established for shelters and transitional housing facilities - they are almost universally allowed into "C" / commercial zones and are treated typically as hotels/motels of similar bed-count. Beyond a small bed-count, they are not allowed in residential zones / neighborhoods, and many cities go so far as to create rules regarding "buffer zones" between mega-shelters and residential areas. Buffer zones simply acknowledge the impacts that very large shelters and/or hotels have on low density residential neighborhoods.
The Hotel Louisville property is ideal for Wayside in so far as it is zoned commercially and for a hotel/motel
The Mercy location remains absolutely inappropriate for any large shelter or transitional housing facility.

The question in my mind is whether or not clear precedent will end up mattering, as I do believe Wayside has you in a precarious position.

Best regards,
Chuck Burke
Original Highlands Neighborhood Association

Fri, 11/13/09
Wayside has begun operating the Hotel Louisville property as a hotel (for the homeless), effectively bypassing the plan for new zoning rules in Louisville.

Wayside needs a location and the Hotel Louisville property is a great spot, as is most any commercially zoned area that would normally hold a large hotel or motel. The land use rules in dozens of cities allow shelters only in "C" (commercial) zones that allow hotels and motels of a similar size. Most cities also know that hundreds of transients on foot, many with alcohol, substance abuse and metal health issues, have a greater negative impact on residential areas than do hotels, so many require a "buffer zone" between them.

With that in mind, placing a 300+ bed shelter in the middle of a neighborhood (ie. Mercy) is as dumb as building a Marriott next to a single family home. It makes no sense, and anyone arguing that it does is too emotional. The homeless ARE NOT CRIMINALS (as some people like to chant) but very large shelters and hotels still have no place in a residential neighborhood.

If Wayside is serious about the Hotel Louisville location, and this is not a ruse, we'd ask them to please drop their appeal in Circuit Court asking to be allowed to operate at the Mercy location.

• Hotel for the homeless - The CJ
• Inspections department reviewing Wayside's use of Hotel Louisville - WAVE
• Council members react to Wayside's 'bold move' - WAVE
• Hotel Louisville providing rooms for homeless for one penny a night - WHAS

Thurs, 11/12/09
Wayside reopens Hotel Louisville site as hotel (for the homeless)

Wayside, if you're truly serious about using the Hotel Louisville property, and this isn't a ruse to give you more political leverage, then drop your case in circuit court attempting to overturn the BOZA ruling on the Mercy property.

We will support rules and regulations that allow very large, concentrated shelters, in any "C" (commercial) zoned areas that would normally support a hotel of equal size.

Wed, 11/4/09
Not so fast... 4 days later and the committee has been cancelled. We're now in a holding pattern.

The Planning Commission has cancelled Friday’s meeting in order to re-evaluate task force membership in consideration of possible conflicts of interest posed by recent litigation. Additional information will be provided as soon as possible. I apologize for any inconvenience.

Dawn T. Warrick, AICP
Assistant Director
Louisville Metro Planning & Design Services

Fri, 10/30/09
We've received word today that the much anticipated committee, tasked with reviewing the land development code (LDC) as it relates to homeless shelters, is beginning. The committee is anticipated to meet approximately six times and will then advise the Planning Commission on appropriate changes. The first meeting of the committee will be next Friday.

Chuck Burke, as an interested party and representing the Original Highlands Neighborhood Association, as well as Dr. John Gilderbloom, most likely representing the University of Louisville(??), are both included. The invitation list that we saw today was pretty large and included numerous city officials, the Louisville Downtown Management District, Coaltion for the Homeless, Housing and Urban Development, St.Vincent de Paul, Kentucky Select Properties, St. John Center for Homeless Men and many more.

Wed, 9/2/09
Wayside continues to escalate the fight to place their mega-shelter at the old Mercy campus by now taking the city to circuit court.

The Original Highlands Neighborhood Association (OHNA) has also been named in Wayside's appeal of the previous BOZA rulings on this case. We of course hope to assist the city's lawyer in defending the BOZA decision. Boza has already ruled, twice, that Wayside's mega-shelter is too large, among other things, to be placed in a residential zone.

We expect that the preponderance of rules and regulations in other cities will show that BOZA's decision was sound and in-line with the rest of the nation. The vast majority of zoning rules related to very large shelters simply do not allow them to be placed in residential neighborhoods. (Commercial zones, normally reserved for hotels and motels, are the norm.)

We want Wayside to have a good home. But if their operation includes a mega shelter housing hundreds of transients, it simply cannot be placed in a residential neighborhood. It sounds like common sense, but emotions sometimes get the best of all of us.

We'll continue to keep you updated.

Fri, 8/22/09
The CJ today reports that Wayside is appealing the previous BOZA decision.

"Wayside Christian Mission has appealed a Metro zoning board's decision denying the homeless shelter's plan to move to the former Mercy Academy building at 1176 East Broadway.

The appeal is to preserve Wayside's option to pursue the Mercy site in case its current plan to move into the former Hotel Louisville at Second Street and Broadway doesn't work out, said Paul Whitty, a lawyer who filed the suit for Wayside."

Sadly, this move by Wayside is not entirely unexpected. Even after purchasing the Hotel Louisville property, Wayside has spoken out vigorously and indeed brought many other groups to speak, primarily on one subject... the old Mercy Campus. At this point we have to assume that their purchase of the Hotel Louisville property was just a ruse. Perhaps it's a way to get political or financial gain since everyone knew that JCC and the state planned to purchase that property? Regardless of the reason, the old Mercy Campus remains their number one goal in all of this.

Here is the truly ridiculous part of this... The vast majority of major U.S. cities already have zoning regulations for very large transitional housing and emergency shelters (anything 50+ beds). Of the ones that do not, they simply say that anything over "X" beds (usually 25 to 50) is only allowed in a commercial ("C") zone, or zoning appropriate to hotels and motels. Many have also included rules to build in "buffer zones" between mega-shelter locations and residential areas.

Louisville is in the minority by NOT having zoning regulations for mega-shelters. The rest of the world realizes that very large, temporary housing has a negative impact directly proportional to their size, and if you're going to have a 300+ bed emergency shelter, you don't place it in a residential neighborhood next to single family homes. Anyone that says anything but SIZE is the issue in this debate is either blinded by emotion or simply not listening to us. This is an issue about a MASSIVE MEGA-SHELTER being placed in the middle of two residential neighborhoods.

At this point, the BOZA ruling will be defended by the city's lawyer. We will, of course, assist them in any way possible. We will also continue to work towards the goal of getting reasonable zoning rules written so that other residential areas will not have to go through anything like this again.

Mon, 7/20/09
Today, in front of the Board of Zoning Authority (BOZA), our attorney appealed the Planning Commission's staff interpretation that Wayside Christian could "possibly" be allowed in Office-Residential 3 (OR3) zoned areas (i.e. the old Mercy Campus). OR3 zones allow a number of residential and office uses. BOZA identified a number of differences between allowed OR3 residential uses and Wayside's intended use, primarily based around scale, housing amentities, etc. Obviously, the most important one to us is size and density. We've never been opposed to Wayside's work, only the size of such a facility in the context of a residential neighborhood. 300+ new transient residents is simply far too large to fit into any residential neighborhood without creating a lot of negative consequences.

For now, Wayside, nor any other extremely large shelter, will be allowed into the Mercy Campus. BOZA is making a recommendation to the Planning Commission and Metro Council to form a committee to create new, appropriate zoning rules and regulations for shelters. It's our goal now to play a part in this new committee and to assist in drafting the new rules and regulations.

Had we had appropriate regulations on the books previously this entire situation would have been avoided. Proper licensing and regulations will not only provide assurances to existing families and neighborhoods but will also provide transparency for shelter operators and assurances for our homeless residents that there is a watchful eye over the entire process.

We'll keep you updated.

Wed, 7/10/09
Our counsel, Stephen Porter, will be appearing at the Board of Zoning Authority (BOZA) on Monday, July 20th. Louisville, unlike most every other major city in America, has no policies or zoning rules overseeing transitional housing and shelters. It's a problem that we hope will be addressed soon. Having such policies on the books could save a lot of trouble and concern for small, residential neighborhoods.

Other recent stories on Wayside:

• Wayside's expensive auction purchase actually more than expected - June 11, 2009, WHAS 11 - Wayside is paying over $3,200 a day on interest on the HOTEL LOUISVILLE property they recently purchased for $10 million dollars because they haven't closed on the property yet. Who is paying this though... the purchase of Hotel Louisville was actually in CEO Tim Mosely's name, not Waysides.
• College courts Wayside for downtown hotel - June 17, 2009, CJ - After failing to acquire the former Hotel Louisville for a campus expansion last month, Jefferson Community and Technical College officials are asking the General Assembly to approve its purchase of the property from the new owners, Wayside Christian Mission.
• Mayor Abramson critical of Wayside's plans - June 24, 2009, WHAS 11 - It appears that a homeless shelter run by Wayside Christian Mission may never open up for business in the hotel currently at Second and Broadway. ... We’ve also learned that the Moseley’s and the creditor of the hotel, Gus Goldsmith, are working out what’s called an “Assignment of Judgment.” That turns the sale of the hotel into a direct deal between the two parties, bypassing the Jefferson County Commissioner’s office. In the end, that could mean the Moseley’s pay only $7 million or so for the property, increasing their chances of profit by selling to the community college which would involve taxpayer dollars.
• JCTC plan to buy Hotel Louisville property approved - June 29, 2009, Fox 41 - Louisville's Jefferson Community and Technical College is celebrating a special session legislative victory. Lawmakers finally approved JCTC's plan to spend up to ten and a half million dollars for the Hotel Louisville property across from the downtown campus. The problem is, Wayside Mission has already purchased the property...
• Wayside denies rumors of another move - July 9, 2009, Fox 41
• Wayside Looking at Antique Mall Site - July 9, 2009, TheVilleVoice.com

Wed, 6/10/09
More developments, and questions, regarding Wayside's purchase of the Hotel Louisville property:

• Taxpayers May End Up Footing the Hotel Bill - Wednesday June 10th, The Ville Voice - "Is it possible that (Gus) Goldsmith orchestrated this whole charade to boost the price JCTC pays for the property, with he and Wayside sharing the millions in excess profit?"
• Hearing for Hotel Louisville Purchase Raises Concerns - Tuesday June 9th, WHAS 11 - "Further complicating matters is exactly who is behind the deal. Wayside acknowledges they are but official documents show the director, Timothy Moseley's name, not the name of the non-profit as the official buyer."

Sat, 5/30/09
A special meeting of the Original Highlands Neighborhood Association (OHNA) was held this morning.

Since the news broke earlier this week regarding Wayside's purchase of the Hotel Louisville property (old Holiday Inn, between 1st and 2nd on Broadway), we've been inundated with emails and phone calls. There is a disturbing rumor or two that continue to surface in these communications. It goes like this...

Wayside bought Hotel Louisville:

• Knowing that JCC had money earmarked to purchase it and therefore JCC would purchase the property back from them at a profit.
• Knowing that it would cause such an uproar among powerful downtown business interests that Wayside would be offered help and/or a deal to get them moved out of that location and into the Mercy property.

We find it strange that so many people who once were silent (when Wayside wanted to purchase the Mercy campus) are now coming out of the woodwork to argue that the location between 1st and 2nd street is inappropriate. The location is FAR MORE COMMERCIALIZED and FAR MORE APPROPRIATE than a residential neighborhood that would be overwhelmed by 300+ new homeless residents.

The OHNA is committed to finishing the work we have begun, we will continue to push for appropriate regulations and zoning requirements so that there is basic oversight on HOW and WHERE shelters operate. This will be to the benefit of not only our community and neighborhoods, but also for the clients and residents of homeless shelters.

Please keep your yard signs posted, and if you do not have a yard sign, please contact us (use the form above) and we will get one placed for you.

We will soon be asking other neighborhood associations to join with us in this cause. Please encourage your neighborhood association to contact us so that we might work together.

Please, use all of the links below to read the recent news articles and chime in, provide your own feedback.

Recent news:

• Try Condemnation - Saturday May 30th, The CJ
• Supports Move - Saturday, May 30th, The CJ
• Something Smells on Broadway - Thursday May 28th, The Ville Voice
• Mission Buys Hotel to expand Homeless Care Facility - Wednesday May 27th, WAVE 3
• Questions raised about $10 million bid by shelter for downtown hotel - Wednesday May 27th, WHAS 11
• Local homeless shelter pays millions for downtown hotel - Wednesday May 27th, WHAS 11
• Wayside Purchases Building on Broadway - Wednesday, May 27th, WFPL
• Wayside Christian Mission buys Hotel Louisville property at auction - Wednesday May 27th, The CJ
• More questions raised about $10 million bid by shelter for downtown hotel - Wednesday, May 27th, WHAS 11

Wed, 5/27/09
The story in today's Courier Journal came as a surprise to us:

Wayside Christian Mission buys Hotel Louisville property at auction (Courier Journal).
"Wayside Christian Mission paid $10 million yesterday at a foreclosure auction for the Hotel Louisville property and plans to use the site for a women and families' shelter and preschool." (Click above to read the full story)

While we're pleased over this outcome, our struggle has pointed out our city's sore lack of rules and zoning regulations for shelters. Major cities in America have basic rules on their books that oversee these operations and our city should be no different. This is in the best interest of not only existing neighborhoods and families, but also the shelter's residents, who deserve to know that there is at least a modicum of oversight. A nursing home today has far more oversight and regulations than do our homeless shelters, and yet homeless shelters have to deal with a far larger percentage of troubled individuals. Self-policing was a good first step, but more now needs to be done.

We'll continue to push for appropriate rules and regulations for our shelters and for a more appropriate use of the old Mercy Campus.

PS. Please KEEP your yard signs posted. Don't have a yard sign? Use the CONTACT FORM (above) and request one!

Sat, 4/11/09
Five members from the sub-committee met with counsellor Stephen Porter today. While we can't go into details, we can say that we are moving ahead on a number of fronts.

Do not become complacent ... If you have a yard sign, be sure it is kept posted. Likewise, ask your neighbors to carry a yard sign and to contact our representatives. If you need a new yard sign, please request one via the CONTACT FORM (above).

Tues, 4/7/09
The sub-committee has begun collecting the relevant paperwork to petition for landmarks and historic preservation status for the old Mercy Campus and the adjoining property. Regardless of who ends up operating out of this facility, it is a landmark in our neighborhood and these historic buildings will need to be protected.

Wed, 3/25/09
A lot of folks who are not in the know believe that Wayside brings little or no problems with their massive operation. For these people, who have never been directly impacted by Wayside's operation, it's probably easy to believe that this whole issue is just sour apples. But consider this with fresh eyes... how can anyone doubt that hundreds (not tens, not twentys, but HUNDREDS) of new, homeless residents won't dramatically impact a neighborhood? It's too big and too much for a residential neighborhood to be expected to absorb. We want to help, and we want to do our part, but we also want to preserve some semblance of normalcy for the families that live here today.

We're happy to have a statement from a former, prominent East Market resident on this issue. Perhaps their experience will shed some light on this issue.

"The East Downtown Business Association (EDBA) was created in response to the problems that Wayside Christian Mission created in our neighborhood. In the fall of 1989, a large group of East Market neighbors met with Chuck Kavenaugh, the Director of Community Development at the time. The residents were upset and angry about the problems that Wayside had created and we sought Mr. Kavenaugh's assistance. He explained that it was important to have a formal organization to make our voice heard and we quickly followed his recommendation. I'm happy to say that the EDBA grew to be a dynamic and positive umbrella for the development of our neighborhood. However, that initial meeting was 20 years ago and it has been a never ending battle to contain the damage that Wayside brings to a neighborhood.

Look closely and you will see that Wayside is a large business focused on the accumulation of cash.

Wayside never acknowledged the historic nature of our neighborhood. They let their physical properties fall into ruin from lack of maintenance.

They have no concern for their neighborhood. It will happen again."

- Barbara Smith
One of the founders and former president,
East Downtown Business Association

Please take a moment to write or call Mr.Cash and let him know that Wayside's proposal goes completely against our neighborhood plan and threatens to irrevocably harm a neighborhood that is already on the brink in regards to traffic, crime, noise and commercial pressures.

Charles C. Cash, Jr., AIA
Director, Planning and Design Services
444 South Fifth Street, Suite 300
Louisville, KY 40202
574-6230 (Fax 574-8129)
e-mail: Charles.Cash@LouisvilleKY.gov

Suggested Letter:

Dear Mr. Cash,

My name is ________________ and I'm a resident of the Original Highlands neighborhood.

I'm writing to you today to plead our neighborhood's case. Wayside has recently proposed moving their East Market facility into the former East Broadway campus of Mercy High School. Before proceeding with this, Wayside came and spoke at one of our neighborhood meetings and assured us that they did not want to move in without the support of the neighborhood and residents. We undertook a thorough neighborhood vote on this topic and the overwhelming response was against.

Please understand, while we support Wayside's mission, and we want to help our homeless residents, their proposal is completely out of proportion to this neighborhood. Adding 250-300 new homeless residents, and another 50+ children to the neighborhood in one fell swoop is simply asking too much. We would welcome a smaller, well integrated shelter, similar to one of the many community outreach facilities we have in the neighborhood today, but we cannot abide a mega-shelter.

Our small, residential neighborhood is currently sandwiched between two densely commercial corridors. The Barret and Bardstown/Baxter corridors put tremendous commercial pressures on the families that live here today. In addition to this, we face far more pressures from noise, crime, traffic and littering than most neighborhoods of a similar size. Combine these issues with ever-increasing number of bars and you can see how the residential fabric of this area is literally being undone. At some point the residents are going to simply lose the battle and I think we're close to that line today.

I'd ask you to please refer to our neighborhood plan (finalized in 2006). Our plans for the Mercy Campus, should it ever be abandoned by the high school, were clearly spelled out at that time. I'd also ask you to please visit our web site so that you can see our position, support and other initiatives in regards to this proposal: www.HighlandersForResponsibleGrowth.com

Sincerely,

________________

Fri, 2/13/09
* SECOND HAND: We've heard second hand that Wayside has a signed a contract with the Sisters of Mercy (current owners of the school campus). Regardless of whether or not this is true the neighborhood still hopes to have our day in front of the powers that be. Given the size of the neighborhood, and the proposed size of this shelter, common sense frequently prevails when we're given an opportunity to explain the problems caused by such a large mega-shelter.

* Louisville to consider new type of preservation district

The Metro Landmarks Commission will consider urging the creation of a new type of district called a "Neighborhood Conservation District."

The focus of the new district would be on preserving "community character" rather than the "historic fabric" of a neighborhood. Such districts have been established in Nashville, San Antonio and Chapel Hill, N.C.

The proposal will be discussed at the Landmarks Commission's annual meeting from 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 21 at the Conrad Caldwell House, 1402 St. James Court in Old Louisville.

Richard Jett, Louisville's historic preservation officer, said the conservation concept has been developed in response to neighborhoods that want to preserve their special character but don't have sufficient support for designation as a local historic preservation district.

The commission will discuss proposed revisions to the local landmarks ordinance to allow creation of the new conservation districts. In preservation districts, such as ones in the Cherokee Triangle, Clifton, Old Louisville and Butchertown, most exterior changes (except for routine maintenance), new construction and demolition requests are reviewed.

Wed, 2/10/09
(from the Original Highlands Neighborhood Newsletter, February 2009)

Wayside Watch: All Eyes on the Mega-Shelter
Chuck Burke - Relocation Chair - East Broadway

Sadly, we don't have good news to report. Despite the overwhelming neighborhood vote, all of our efforts, and their words to the contrary, it appears that Wayside is still moving ahead with their plans for a mega-shelter on East Broadway. Tim and Nina Moseley, the husband/wife power-couple and CEO/COO of Wayside (respectively) have frequently been seen touring the neighborhood.

For our part, the board has stayed in touch with legal counsel and we continue to plan for an anticipated BOZA (Board of Zoning Authority) hearing where we hope to make our case to the powers that be. In that vein, we have recently posted two new neighborhood maps at www.HighlandersForResponsibleGrowth.com. One lists establishments selling alcohol in and near the Original Highlands and the other lists community outreach facilities that are present in our neighborhood and surrounding streets. The first is important because many of Wayside's residents struggle with drug and alcohol addiction. The second is relevant because it shows how many services the neighborhood houses today and it illustrates how well-integrated, right-sized facilities can blend into a densely residential neighborhood.

If Wayside does move into the neighborhood, 200-250 homeless adults (including men, according to Wayside) will be placed in a single, enormous facility. It's simply far too many new residents under one roof and it completely ignores the local and national trends of integrating poverty within a community via dispersal. Right-sized, well-integrated facilities do not concentrate poverty, nor do they threaten to overwhelm the families and homeowners that live here today.

Make no mistake, everyone wants to help our homeless brothers and sisters, but not with outdated, oversized ideas that are too large to fit well anywhere, and definitely too large to fit into a small neighborhood. Please visit our web site, the Latest News page is updated frequently: www.HighlandersForResponsibleGrowth.com. You can request a yard sign, send a donation to our neighborhood defense fund, and sign our online petition. We've also provided links to our representatives and we urge you to contact them.

We can't resist such powerful forces without your assistance. Please get involved today.

Tues, 1/20/09
* SECOND HAND: An Original Highlands resident heard tale from a fellow Tarc rider that the Moseley's have been discussing the move to East Broadway with residents of their East Market facility.

* SECOND HAND: We've heard a rumor that Wayside has inquired with the Planning and Zoning commission regarding their status, and what classification they might fall under during a move to the East Broadway facility.

From this recent activity it appears that Wayside is still committed to planting a mega-shelter in this small, residential neighborhood.

Sun, 1/18/09
Wayside's CEO, Tim Moseley, and COO, Nina Moseley, were seen visiting the East Broadway property this morning in a black, boxy Scion.

Thurs, 1/1/09
* We've updated the site today with new interactive maps. Just click MAPS in the main navigation above to access these.

• Social Services - Our critics frequently call this a NIMBY (not in my back yard) issue and claim that the Original Highlands is uncaring or somehow not sympathetic to the mission of Wayside. This is absolutely not the case and we live side-by-side with numerous community outreach facilities today. We remain supportive of Wayside's goals and the homeless residents they serve but are steadfastly opposed to the sheer SIZE of operation that Wayside insists on locating under a single, warehouse-sized roof. We are home to more community outreach facilities than most areas of similar size. This map illustrates existing social services and community outreach programs in the neighborhood and surrounding streets today.
• Alcohol Sales - We've long maintained that the Original Highlands, as home to one of the densest collection of alcohol selling establishments in the city, is a bad location for individuals that wrestle daily with alcohol and substance abuse. This map illustrates the alcohol selling establishments within the neighborhood and surrounding streets.

* We remain in the dark regarding Wayside's planned acquisition of the old Mercy campus. During one of our meetings with their Board of Directors they indicated that they would be making a decision before January but so far nothing more has been heard. In late November we heard that Wayside's Chief Operating Officer, Tim Moseley, had told John Yarmuth's campaign manager that they had heard the neighborhood's concerns and were looking at other, more appropriate locations for their large facility. A call to Chief Operating Officer, Nina Moseley, to verify this produced a reply that all options were still on the table. We have no explanation for the mixed messages. We've placed a call today to Nina Moseley and await further word.

Sat, 11/22/08
Apparently, someone is PRO Megashelter and AGAINST freedom-of-speech. Two Megashelter signs from two different houses went missing last night on East Broadway. Perhaps the thief has planted them on their moral high ground? ;-)

Mon, 10/20/08
A letter from a resident to Tim Moseley, CEO of Wayside:

Dear Rev Tim,

I take issue with your webpage regarding the Mercy Academy site and Wayside Missions desire to purchase the property for use as a shelter. Here is a link to the your webpage http://www.waysidechristianmission.org/index.php?pr=Mercy_for_the_Homeless

From your website:

"On the east side of the property are the Original Highlands Neighborhood Association residents. Many of the residents surveyed oppose the Mission moving into the old campus. However, many of the residents have strongly advocated that we proceed. A number of Wayside volunteers live in this area and also support our move. In fact, many of our residents attend church and AA meetings each week in the Highlands. We have developed this web page to better communicate our intentions. We know that our story has not been told to all the neighborhood's residents. We welcome you to explore this site so that you can better understand our intentions, our promises, and our commitment to this area. This is a good fit and we are willing to address any concern in a reasonable way. Please remember "Mercy for the Homeless" in your thoughts and prayers. Please feel free to email me at tim@waysidechristianmission.org"

1) Nina Moseley presented the plans of Wayside at a special meeting of the OHNA on August 18th, 2008. The meeting was very well attended. A subsequent meeting was held by OHNA for further conversation and education regarding Wayside and the plans for Mercy Academy. After both meetings the neighborhood was thoroughly polled as to the resident's position on the move. Those who did not vote at the meeting were given questionnaires at their homes. Every effort was made to reach the largest number of residents and obtain the opinions. The results of the polling were NOT ambiguous but rather approximately 75% of the respondents were opposed to the relocation of Wayside to the Mercy site.

2) At the August meeting Ms. Moseley stated repeatedly that Wayside would NOT move to the Mercy Academy site if the neighborhood was opposed to the move. She offered assurances in writing as well as assurances that the population at the site would never exceed 350, that the men's shelter would never be located at the Mercy site, assurances were given regarding security patrols, litter clean up etc, etc, etc. Given that the first assurance has been completely ignored I see no reason to have faith that ANY of Ms. Moseley's assurances are worthwhile. For the same reasons I find your reference to "promises" in your website to be worthless.

3) Although I admire the work that Wayside Christina Mission is performing for the homeless, the size of shelter proposed and the location proposed are NOT APPROPRIATE. The simple fact that the Mercy Academy property has the architectural facilities for housing well beyond 350 homeless individuals for a relatively low financial cost does not automatically make it the correct solution, but rather makes it a cheap and easy solution.

I strongly urge Wayside to consider other solutions to their needs regarding this matter. But at a minimum I would expect that Wayside would NOT continue to engage in disingenuous behavior by claiming that the Original Highlands neighborhood has not been informed. Furthermore, to imply that there is not a clear majority of residents opposed to the move is simply false. OHNA conducted a poll of the neighborhood. Wayside has failed to do the same.

Sincerely,

Josh Gerick Behr
Morton Avenue

A couple of points of clarification from the sub-committee on Mr.Moseley's statement:

"On the east side of the property are the Original Highlands Neighborhood Association residents."

This is not accurate, the property in question is bordered on the east, west and south sides by the Original Highlands. The Phoenix Hill Neighborhood Assocation begins on the north side of East Broadway, and you will find many of our yard-signs located there as well.

"However, many of the residents have strongly advocated that we proceed."

We invite Wayside to provide a clear definition of "many of the residents". The neighborhood association has collected over 400 names of residents opposing the SIZE of this facility. In our door-to-door campaign we're seeing that over 90% of residents are opposed to this plan.

"A number of Wayside volunteers live in this area and also support our move."

This issue is not EITHER / OR and painting it in black and white doesn't address the crux of our concern. A great many Wayside volunteers and supporters live in this area (including the OHNA board of directors and the head of this sub-committee) and yet we are still opposed to Wayside's plan due to the proposed SIZE of the facility.

"In fact, many of our residents attend church and AA meetings each week in the Highlands."

It's worth pointing out again that in addition to these we have far more community outreach programs, boarding facilities and charitable groups here than most neighborhoods (see our Home Page for details). We live peacefully side by side with all of them. Again, it's the SIZE of Wayside's proposal, not the mission, which is the issue. Adding 300-350 new homeless residents, all under one roof, to a small, residential neighborhood is just not a good idea.

"We welcome you to explore this site so that you can better understand our intentions, our promises, and our commitment to this area."

As Mr.Behr pointed out, one of these alluded promises is that you wouldn't locate here if you were not welcome. At the proposed size of 300-350 new homeless residents, you are not welcome. We have made this point clear. We have also made clear that we would welcome a smaller, well-integrated facility that didn't attempt to warehouse poverty, alcoholism and mental health issues by the hundreds under a single roof and threaten to overwhelm this neighborhood by sheer size.

Please, turn your focus to modern plans that acknowledges the national trend and success in dismantling large, oversized projects in favor of numerous, smaller and well-integrated facilities spread throughout a community. In every modern city today, poverty is being dispersed and integrated by leaving behind the antiquated idea of massive projects. BIG & CONCENTRATED is not the only way to be GOOD. BIG VIA DISPERSAL answers the problems that BIG alone causes. Any good cause, like homeless shelters, works better for both neighbors and our homeless when they are spread throughout a community. Poverty and homelessness affects people in every zip code. Why would we attempt to concentrate them all into a massive mega-shelter?

Sat, 10/11/08
Saturday's door-to-door campaign went well. Should you want a yard sign ASAP, use the CONTACT form (and be sure to NOTE that you would like a yard sign) and we'll get one placed for you.

Thurs, 10/9/08
Re-printed with permission from a letter submitted by a petition signer:

I was shocked when I read the "Phoenix Hill Neighborhood Assc." news letter this month. It stated that their board intended to send a letter of support to Wayside Christian Mission. I am located directly across the street from Mercy and don't recall this Association asking my opinion.

I am totally opposed to a large facility. I want to thank the Original Highlands Neighborhood Association for always allowing its residents to have an opinion.

- Tammy Day, E. Broadway

Wed, 10/8/08
OHNA's letter to LEO was published today, along with a couple of other letters on this issue. In addition to contacting all of your government representatives (see here), we'd encourage you to write your own letters to LEO, the CJ, TheVilleVoice, etc.

Tue, 10/7/08
* Monday's door-to-door campaign went well. Yard signs will continue to be distributed but we have a lot of ground to cover. Should you want a yard sign ASAP, use the CONTACT form (and be sure to NOTE that you would like a yard sign) and we'll get one placed for you.

* A letter from the sub-committee to Mercy Academy has been posted on the homepage.

Sun, 10/5/08
* The Ville Voice published our submitted letter here. Be sure to add to the COMMENTS section and make yourself heard.

Sat, 10/4/08
* It should have occurred to us sooner, but LEO has word-count guidelines that we didn't follow. I've re-submitted our original letter in an abridged and more concise format (shown below) today.

RE: Original Highlands Neighborhood Association & Wayside's mega-shelter

Our critics are quick to claim that this is simply "NIMBY", but that shows a lack of understanding. We peacefully live with a number of boarding facilities on East Broadway for alcoholics, schizophrenics, pregnant teens and the school for youth in crisis. A methadone clinic sits on Winter. Low income housing is on Baxter and more on Rubel. Programs and clinics are run through the Urban Government Center on Barret. More examples only belabor the point; no one here is opposed to any programs that don't threaten our neighborhoods.

The real issue is Wayside's proposed SIZE, concentrated in a residential neighborhood. A mega-shelter can only add to the crime, litter, panhandling, noise and commercial pressures that all threaten to unravel the residential fabric of this area. Everything has an impact, and SIZE is always a key factor. While the full impact of a mega-shelter and hundreds of new, homeless residents in the neighborhood cannot be gauged in advance, sadly, perception is reality. Wayside's proposal has already created disinclination in renovation and a negative attitude from potential home buyers. And anything that threatens property values threatens the retirement, children's tuitions and future for residents.

We enjoy living in a growing, urban area, and we believe that finding the right balance between families, commercial, and community interests is a worthwhile struggle. However, a mega-shelter could permanently alter this tenuous balance and return the area to the neglect that it faced during 1980's and prior. Everyone wants to help our homeless residents, but balance is crucial.

The choice that Wayside has given this neighborhood is unfair. "AT ANY SIZE" and "AT ANY COST" needs to be removed from the equation. There is a win/win solution. If Wayside wants to fit into residential areas they need to look at well-integrated, appropriately sized shelters, and not threaten to overwhelm neighborhoods through sheer size. The national strategy (since the mid 90's) has been to disperse poverty throughout a community, not to concentrate it. Placing mega-shelters that house hundreds of homeless individuals in small residential neighborhoods will always be a bad idea, but creating a community-wide network of well integrated shelters will benefit our homeless residents and our neighborhoods.

It will be immediately claimed that this is too expensive. Is this too expensive for Wayside, who has roughly $9 million in the bank for expansion, or too expensive for the families and small businesses, who will have to bear the negative impact of a mega-shelter? The burden of expense and integration into neighborhoods must be on Wayside's shoulders, not the residents. Otherwise, Wayside should continue their East Jefferson expansion or any location in a commercial area that is less susceptible to impact.

Chuck Burke, OHNA,
www.HighlandersForResponsibleGrowth.com

* YARD SIGNS ARE HERE!

Fri, 10/3/08
Ms. Turner, a resident of the Original Highlands, submitted this letter to LEO in response to the letter submitted by the employees at Shear Artistry. (Our apologies, a small oversight prevented this from being posted on Friday!)

Dear Editor:

The letter from the Shear Artistry Salon misstates what I told them. They seem to be a victim of the misinformation campaign of Wayside. Wayside says "women and families" will be located in the old Mercy building. The proposed Wayside "mega-shelter" will have "families" which includes males who are either teenagers or fathers to the children. Wayside is not separating husbands and teenage boys from families. Wayside also knows that proposing a men's shelter at first would be a sure loser. The playbook for mega-shelters is to use the ruse of "women and families" as a Trojan Horse to get into a neighborhood. This is the 21st Century and Shelters like Wayside would lose funding if they discriminated on the basis of gender. Moreover, they have also stated the current men's shelter currently located downtown might also have to move. Wayside has stated they would not move into the Original Highlands if there was opposition. So let's be real who is telling the truth? Not mentioning men as part of the Shelter is misleading and there will be males.

In terms of crime, it should be noted that a Louisville Police Officer testified at a Wayside forum that Wayside ranks in the top ten in terms of 911 emergency calls involving criminal and medical problems. Moreover, Original Highlands Neighborhood should not be demonized as a NIMBY neighborhood when in fact it carries more than its fair share of outreach groups to help and house the homeless. Myself and neighborhood leaders would welcome a homeless shelter if it was small scale and had quality services. Wayside will simply overwhelm us.

Just like we know that placement of a trailer, a glue factory, package liquor store, abandoned house, or peep show hurt neighborhood values, the proposed Mercy mega-shelter has the capacity to do a lot more damage to a fragile, small historic neighborhood. The integrity, safety and value of this neighborhood is at risk. Look at how many businesses Wayside pushed out or went under on East Market after they moved in 35 years ago allowing them to buy up a block of buildings and houses at cheap prices. Why are they really moving now? An Original Highlands most visible and respected restaurant with an international reputation says that Wayside might cause them to move elsewhere because insurance might be too expensive or even impossible to get. Several realtors have stated that just the threat of a mega-shelter has caused real estate values to fall already: builders have stopped work on Phoenix Lofts a block from Mercy; real estate sales near Mercy have frozen. For this and other information on Original Highlands opposition to Wayside mega-shelter, please visit the website at: www.highlandersforresponsiblegrowth.com

The proposed mega-shelter at Mercy is not good for the poor, the neighborhood, or the city.

Lisa Turner

Thurs, 10/2/08
* Wayside's 2005 and 2006 990's (tax forms, open to public inspection) are now available for download via our homepage.

* The question was raised about how the Mercy campus was addressed in the Original Highlands Neighborhood Plan (final report, Sept. 2006), now incorporated into Louisville's overall Cornerstone 2020 plan. Here are the excerpts:

(RE: Breckinridge Metropolitan Community High School and Mercy Academy, p.14) The neighborhood through the public involvement process has expressed concern about what happens to these institutions. Their preference is that the use be compatible with the neighborhood and preferably focus upon residential or mixed/use development. In the case of Mercy Academy, this would be consistent with the effective zoning in the area.

(Table 4-2, Original Highlands Neighborhood Plan Land Use & Community Form Recommendations, p.17) RECOMMENDATION: LU6 - Any proposed re-use of the Mercy Academy and Breckenridge Metropolitan High School campuses should be focused on condominium or mixed professional office/residential uses, and/or consistent with the uses allowed in their existing underlying zoning district, unless it can be demonstrated that a proposed change of use is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood and the intent of the Traditional Neighborhood Form District. IMPLEMENTATION RESPONSIBILITY: Louisville Metro Planning Commission

(Table 7-1, Original Highlands Neighborhood Plan Summary of Recommendations, p.28) RECOMMENDATION: LU6 - Any proposed change of use of Mercy Academy or Breckenridge Metropolitan High School should be focused on condominium or mixed professional office/residential. IMPLEMENTATION RESPONSIBILITY: Louisville Metro Planning Commission

* We've sent an email to Stephen George (LEO Weekly) and Rick Redding (The Ville Voice) today. The full text is below...

Dear Stephen & Rick,

Thank you for making me aware of the letters that have been recently submitted. I've been tasked with leading the sub-committee on this issue and as such, anything that doesn't come directly from me should be considered personal correspondence to your respective news organizations. There are obviously a lot of heated feelings here on both sides of the fence. Speaking for the Original Highlands Neighborhood Association (OHNA) I think the most constructive thing we can do is to continue to present our case as clearly and as publicly as possible. We continue to do this at www.HighlandersForResponsibleGrowth.com

I'd very much like to address your readers if possible...

Wayside's proposed mega-shelter now joins the list of issues that our neighborhood faces today. An inordinate amount of crime, litter, panhandling, noise and commercial pressures all threaten to unravel the residential fabric of this area. The negative impact from so many forces is felt daily by the families and businesses that reside here and the mere rumor of Wayside's relocation to the neighborhood has exacerbated this. A new disinclination in revitalization and renovation by current residents and a negative attitude from potential home buyers are a very real and tangible side effect of Wayside's proposal.

I think that everyone involved is willing to admit that we don't even know the full impact that a mega-shelter will have, but as the saying goes, perception is reality. Unfortunately, the perceived impact alone is enough to negatively impact property values. Because homes are the single largest asset of most American families, anything that threatens property values threatens the retirement, children's tuitions and future for many residents. It's obviously going to be a heated issue, especially among the resident affected... However, we enjoy living in a growing, urban neighborhood, and we believe that finding the right balance between families, commercial interests and community outreach programs is a worthwhile struggle. In the case of Wayside, the neighborhood feels that a mega-shelter, and hundreds of new, homeless residents could permanently alter this tenuous balance, and return the neighborhood to the neglect that it faced during 1980's and prior.

Our critics are quick to claim that this is simply a "NIMBY" issue, but they do so without any real understanding of the facilities that reside here now. We peacefully live side by side with a number of boarding facilities on East Broadway for alcoholics, schizophrenics and pregnant teens. The school for youth in crisis is just adjacent to the old Mercy Campus. A methadone clinic sits at the corner of Barret and Winter. Low income housing is at the corner of Baxter and Payne as well as another development just north of East Broadway on Rubel. Numerous community outreach programs and clinics are run through the Urban Government Center on Barret. Most people are surprised to hear this because these programs blend into the neighborhood well. Even more examples could be raised but it belabors the point. We're not opposed to any good community programs as long as they don't seriously threaten the residential nature of the neighborhood or the families that live here. Everyone wants to help our homeless residents, but all of this must be balanced.

It's our opinion that the choice that Wayside has given this neighborhood is simply unfair. Please understand, no one wants to choose between helping our homeless residents and our neighborhoods. Indeed, we don't even think this is a choice that has to be made. "AT ANY SIZE" and "AT ANY COST" needs to be removed from this equation for any sense to be had. There is a win/win solution... If Wayside wants to be a good neighbor and a good steward while simultaneously ceasing to be a lightning rod for this sort of negative attention, they will stop pursuing massive, concentrated facilities and begin to follow the national strategy (since the mid 90's) of dispersing poverty throughout the community. Highly concentrating poverty and the issues facing our homeless under one Wal-Mart sized roof is not the right answer. And placing mega-shelters that house hundreds of homeless individuals in small residential neighborhoods will always be a bad idea.

If Wayside truly wants to fit into residential neighborhoods, they need to look at well-integrated, appropriately sized shelters that can complement the facilities that we have here today and not threaten existing families and business owners. There are numerous other neighborhoods in our city, and numerous homeless residents, that would benefit from convenient, more natural and nearby shelter and support programs. Distributing smaller, more natural residence-style shelters throughout the community would be better for everyone involved - our homeless who come from every zip code in our city, and the neighborhoods that want to do their fair share.

Of course, the common counter to this is that this is simply too expensive. Ignoring the fact that Wayside is extremely flush right now, having raised approximately $4 million in fund-raising and another $5 million from the sale of the East Market property, asking homeowners and families to bear the negative impact of mega-shelters is also too expensive. None of these families have millions of dollars in resources, and asking them to choose between their home values and their neighborhood or a mega-shelter is not a fair choice.

Sadly, for everyone involved, until Wayside acknowledges the real issue here, and stops pursuing a heart-strings argument, we will have no choice but to continue to urge them to pursue expansion on their East Jefferson street property, or another commercially oriented area. These are not quite as susceptible as residential neighborhoods are to negative impacts, real or perceived.

Best regards,
Chuck Burke

www.HighlandersForResponsibleGrowth.com
Sub-committee to resist Wayside's proposed mega-shelter,
Original Highlands Neighborhood Association

Tues, 9/30/08
* A letter from the OHNA sub-committee was today sent to Representative Tom Riner. A copy of this may be downloaded from our home page.

NOTE: If you are a resident of the Original Highlands, Phoenix Hill, Cherokee Triangle or Paristown-Germantown neighborhoods, and have NOT yet contacted all of your representatives regarding this issue, please visit our Take Action page and do so now! You'll find easy links to our supportive councilman, Tom Owen and David Tandy, as well as links to Mayor Abramson, Congressman Yarmuth and State Representative Tom Riner.

* Coordinated information with counsel related to Wayside's proposal

* Our homepage has been updated with additional text and details regarding our mission statement

Mon, 9/29/08
OHNA steering committee met to discuss current issues related to Wayside's proposal

Thurs, 9/25/08
Homeless man held in rape near Broadway, Barret (from the Courier-Journal) - Yet another sad example of the pressures that this area already faces. The densely residential neighborhoods here, and the families that call them home, face extreme pressures right now from crime, commercial interests, bars, litter, panhandling, etc. How much impact can one neighborhood take is the recurring question in the minds of all of the residents.

* OHNA and sub-committee met with legal counsel

Wed, 9/24/08
* Referring back to 9/2/08 - it bears repeating that Wayside said that they did not want to relocate to the Mercy property without the neighborhood's support. (See their initial letter to the neighborhood association.) It's clear to everyone at this point that the neighborhood is opposed to this proposal, and more specfically, the SIZE of the proposed mega-shelter. Despite this, Wayside appears to not be true to its word, and continues to pursue the old Mercy campus, regardless of the damage that this move will do to the families that live in this neighborhood.

*Small meeting with Wayside to discuss specific neighborhood concerns.

Tues, 9/23/08
LEO Weekly's story on the Wayside issue can be read online here.

Regarding the crime discussion: The LEO article accurately points out that crime in the Original Highlands is far higher than the East Market area. Comparing the crime figures from a primarily commercial district with a densely residential district, under numerous pressures today, alludes to the crux of the issue: how much more impact, of all sorts, can this neighborhood reasonably be expected to absorb?

By and large, the vast majority of our homeless population is not very mobile, and they usually travel by foot. While curfews are a nice talking point for Wayside, they don't address how these hundreds of new, homeless residents will spend their days. By and large, most of the homeless are not working homeless, so we expect that they'll be filtering through the neighborhood on foot. The concern of the families that live here today is that the neighborhood can't possibly absorb the foot-traffic of hundreds of new residents, many with alcohol and substance abuse issues, domestic abuse issues (and the perpetrators that follow them), mental health issues, etc. Mercy is not an appropriate location for 150-200 new apartments or condos so how could it possibly be a low-impact neighbor with 300-350 new homeless residents is difficult for us to understand.

The article does mention that there are no single men at Wayside's East Market facility, but their facility does house men. Their family program at East Market does house homeless men, teenagers, etc., and men would also be housed at Mercy should it become their new location.

We all want help and support for our homeless residents, but we're also greatly concerned about our community, the residential nature of our neighborhoods and the families that live here today. This neighborhood is comprised of individuals and families, just like you and your own neighbors. Their dreams, children's lives and the greater part of their life-savings are also tied to their homes. Anything that potentially threatens this is not something that can be taken lightly.

However, there is a solution, a WIN/WIN for everyone: smaller, more natural, appropriately sized shelters that blend in with our community. All of the national trends since the 90's have focused on dispersing poverty, NOT concentrating it, as the best method of integrating those affected back into the community. Concentrating poverty, alcoholism and mental health issues is not the answer. As long as Wayside stays focused on mega-shelters, it will continue to be a lightning rod for these sort of concerns. With over $9 million in the bank, how is it possible that the logistics and extra expense of smaller, more dispersed shelters couldn't be met? This would be far better for our homeless residents and far better for our neighborhoods.

Mon, 9/22/08
* Spoke with Stephen George, editor of LEO Weekly, who is doing a story on this issue. We expect it will be in Wednesday's edition.

* Meeting with counsel scheduled for Thursday.

* Yard signs ordered.

Tues, 9/16/08
* Nina Moseley, Chief Operating Officer for Wayside, called late Monday and said that OHNA would be allowed to present to their board of directors Tuesday afternoon. One caveat imposed upon us was that whatever was discussed in the meeting could not be released to the press. Given that this was the only way we would be allowed to explain our objections to the entire Wayside board, we accepted this condition. Two OHNA board members and one sub-committee board member presented. We can't comment beyond this.

* We've received a very favorable quote on yard signs and hope to place our order tomorrow.

* Meeting with counsel is scheduled for this upcoming Monday.

* WFPL's State of Affairs topic today was "Where do we put our neediest citizens?" You can listen to a recorded version of the show here. NOTE: Glenn Price, one of the guest speakers, is counsel for Wayside.

* RE: Property Values - A realtor, representing a neighbor whose house is located directly next to Mercy, was on-site today. I spoke to her briefly about what sort of luck they were having. The neighbor in question has recently relisted his house at a more attractive price after letting it sit for a number of months. She said that they'd quickly attracted four interested parties at the new price point, but three of them, upon learning that Wayside might be moving in, said that they would hold until Wayside has made a final decision. The fourth hasn't as of yet returned any calls. "Optimistic and positive attitudes" aside, it appears that regardless of what the true impact of this mega-shelter may be, perception is enough (for now) to have a negative impact.

Mon, 9/15/08
* We've heard again today that Wayside's board would be meeting Tuesday night. We've received no response from our letter sent to Wayside this past Friday so we called their Chief Operating Officer to ask if we might be able to be present to represent the neighborhood and speak to their board. We left voicemail and hope to hear from them soon. They did ask, and were allowed, to represent themselves at our neighborhood meeting, so hopefully they will give us the same opportunity.

* This story was offered up by one of our petition signers. We received her permission before posting this. If you have had any direct experience with Wayside, and have a story to tell, please contact us.

"In February of 2006 through May of 2006 I was homeless in Louisville. While trying to get into the Center for Women and Families I was referred to Wayside. When I arrived at Wayside it was a completely different world from the Center. Wayside was chaotic and very unstructured. At the Center there are support groups and programs that are enforced, and all residents had to attend. I went to Wayside and stayed for only one hour. The one piece of luggage that I had was broken into and while Wayside's policy is that there is to be no alcohol, it was appararent that a number of the residents were intoxicated. With no structure whatsoever I just didn't feel safe in staying any longer so I left.

I later had a roomate at the Center who had also stayed at Wayside for a short time, but she too had to leave due to the chaos. She said that she would rather sleep on a stoop than stay at Wayside. In the morning all of the residents at Wayside are forced out, so it's a very difficult situation. Many of the homeless have no work, so they then have to find something to occupy their time until coming back in the evening to try and get a bed again."

- Shelley Glapion, formerly homeless

Dear Stephen,

I'm sorry I haven't called or written you sooner but we've been running wild trying to get the web site prepared and make all the preparations for this past Saturday's street festival.

I'd like to answer Sarah Kelley's criticism of the Original Highlands neighborhood.

We are extremely supportive of Wayside's mission, and any initiative to support our homeless, but we are are also adamantly opposed to Wayside's plan to locate a mega-shelter here. Their proposal to add 300+ beds to a neighborhood comprised of approximately 1,000 homes, is simply out of all scale and proportion. The homeless residents who are not working will simply have to find other ways to occupy their time, and it will be impossible for the neighborhood to absorb all of them. Indeed, mega-shelters are too large for most any residential neighborhood.

There are many who would claim that we are simply uncaring, or that we're not willing to do our part. What they may not realize is that this area is home to numerous facilities today, and we're not opposed to doing even more, as long as they don't threaten the residential fabric of the neighborhood. We have a number of boarding facilities within a one-block area from Mercy; one for alcoholics, one for schizophrenics and another for youth in crisis. If you look directly outside of those two blocks, you'll find numerous other care and outreach programs, including The Urban County Government Center that is home to many important government and non-profit agencies and clinics. We'd be glad to work with Wayside on a smaller, well-integrated and more natural residence for our homeless, as should every neighborhood in our city.

Additionally, we will not be shamed by anyone who stubbornly insists that mega-shelters are the ONLY answer. Every solution need not be megalithic and over-sized in order to work and shelters don't need to concentrate hundreds under a single roof in order to accomplish their good work. Size will always be a density and impact issue, and the larger the size, the larger their impact will be. Ask Wayside's current neighbors about their impact, then compare this to the impact produced by the programs that focus on dispersing and integrating poverty.

Generally speaking, dispersing poverty, not concentrating it, brings the homeless back into our communities as members. Smaller, well-integrated programs are better for everyone involved, they are better for the homeless residents who get more personal care and attention and get to enjoy more natural housing. They also make for good neighbors and good stewards, and do not overwhelm the neighborhoods they reside in. There are countless programs and shelters that are doing this today, and we would encourage Wayside to look at their model for care and integration.

Everyone can win if we think outside of the Wal-Mart sized box.

Please visit us online: www.HighlandersForResponsibleGrowth.com

Sincerely,
Chuck Burke
Original Highlands Neighborhood Association,
sub-committee tasked with resisting Wayside's relocation of a
mega-shelter into the Original Highlands.

Nina and Tim,

During the recent struggle with the Market Street Property, Councilman Tandy supported you and was very pleased with the final outcome. The ultimate goal of everyone involved was realized and it benefited both parties.

However, Councilman Tandy would not have supported that agreement had he known of your intentions to consider the Mercy Academy Campus.

His understanding was that you were going to expand on your current location at Jefferson Street, a decision which he and the administration support.

Councilman Tandy is willing to continue working with you and supporting your mission, but please reconsider your interest in the Mercy Campus.

Rob Haynes
Office of David W. Tandy

TO: Nina Moseley - Chief Operating Officer - nina@waysidechristianmission.org
Tim Moseley - Chief Executive Officer - tim@waysidechristianmission.org
Wayside Board of Directors

Dear Nina, et al,

Our official neighborhood vote has been announced for some time now and the sentiment is clear. The neighborhood voted 76% against Wayside's relocation plans. It's very disappointing that Wayside has not capitulated on this matter, as per your initial letter to us: "However, in order to pursue such a venture, we would like to have acceptance from the appropriate neighborhood associations beforehand." I wanted to make you and the Wayside board aware that the OHNA sub-committee tasked with resisting your relocation into the neighborhood has launched its official web site: www.HighlandersForResponsibleGrowth.com (We had an internal, soft-launch on Wednesday). Our next steps will include yard signs, our petition and options suggested by counsel.

I wish to again encourage you to re-think this move. Small, appropriately sized shelters integrate well into the fabric of our community; they provide a critical service for our homeless residents and they are proportional to the neighborhoods they operate within. Your plans to re-locate 300+ new homeless individuals at Mercy are simply far too big for this neighborhood to absorb. Should you move ahead despite our wishes, we fear that you will do irreparable harm to a fragile, densely residential area. Scattered among the businesses of East Broadway you will find numerous residential homes. If you look directly behind East Broadway, you will find street-upon-street of residential homes. A quick glance may not make this apparent to the casual visitor, but this is not a commercial area. It is a deeply residential neighborhood that happens to have commercial corridors. As such, we ask that ALL of our neighbors take this into account when considering the SIZE and SCALE of their plans.

We have numerous community outreach programs and boarding facilities here today, and we appreciate their work and peacefully live side-by-side with them. But none of them have the impact of what you are proposing. Make no mistake about it, no one is questioning your mission, which we know to be a a just and noble cause. It is your focus on concentrated size that is deeply disturbing. We believe that smaller shelters, more evenly distributed throughout the community, would serve EVERYONE better. In appropriately sized facilities, the residents would not live by the hundreds under a single roof, and the neighboring families could continue to strive for the stability that they too deserve. Smaller shelters, distributed throughout the community, would also be more convenient for the homeless. Poverty and need have no borders, except those that we unnaturally force upon it. Tightly concentrating poverty is simply never the right answer, not if we wish to TRULY integrate the homeless back into our community.

It's my understanding that Wayside is having a board meeting this upcoming Tuesday? If you would like our presence to speak on behalf of the Original Highlands Neighborhood Association, we would be glad to attend. Additionally, I would appreciate knowing if you plan on making a final decision this Tuesday or if that's to be put off for some later time? And finally, can you tell us who comprises the Wayside board of directors? I'm only familiar with Tim and yourself, so I have sent this to both of you.

Best regards, Chuck Burke

Original Highlands Neighborhood Association (OHNA) sub-committee tasked with resisting Wayside's relocation of a mega-shelter into the Original Highlands

Re: Purchase of Mercy Academy Campus Site
Dear Board Members:

I oppose the relocation of the Wayside Christian Mission's shelter for Women and Families to the old Mercy Academy site on East Broadway.

The Victorian Neighborhoods surrounding the Mercy site-both north and south of Broadway-have experienced significant fixing up over the last couple of decades. I believe the introduction of a 24 hr./300 bed social service facility would slow and possibly reverse that trend-dampening all our elusive dreams of growing our city back to the center.

Despite the neighborhood improvement, Upper Phoenix Hill and the Original Highlands continue to be knocked off-center by rowdy bar patrons, inordinate numbers of vagrants, and recent armed street robberies. Neighborhoods in recovery live with a delicate balance.

I appreciate the devout commitment that Wayside Christian Mission shows to the Louisville area community and our down and out citizens. By their proposal to move their Women and Families to a Historic neighborhood still in recovery, they force community leaders to choose between Wayside's vital mission and existing neighborhood vitality.

Thu, 9/10/08
Legal referrals are in, and thank you to everyone who responded to our call for help! We'll be coordinating with counsel over the next week.

Wed, 9/10/08
HighlandersForResponsibleGrowth.com is launched to disseminate news and information

Tues, 9/2/08
OHNA releases a press release, and sends letters to the office of David Tandy, Tom Owens, John Yarmuth and Jerry Abramson. You can find links to these letters on our homepage.

Wayside stated, both in their letter to the Original Highlands neighborhood and at the neighborhood meeting, that they did not want to move here without our support. The neighborhood has voted overwhelmingly against locating a mega-shelter in the neighborhood, so we'll just have to see what happens next.

Thurs, 8/28/08
An all neighborhood meeting is called to allow residents to voice their opinions, and take a vote on the Wayside proposal. The official neighborhood vote was tallied and it is 76% against Wayside's relocation into the Original Highlands.

* Mrs. Moseley was at the meeting and I asked her if she had notified anyone that I was touring the facility that day. She said that she had not. While I don't doubt her word, someone had obviously gone through pains to make sure to put their best foot forward during my previous tour. I was only disappointed that the conversation I previously overheard might hint that loitering on the sidewalks is tolerated when there are no tours.

Sun, 8/24/08
During our neighborhood meeting, Nina Moseley, Wayside's Chief Operating Officer, invited us to tour their East Market facility. She indicated that we could come anytime, and stressed that no one would announce our visit, so that we might get an idea of the typical day-to-day operation. I arrived today 30 minutes early to find staff rapidly cleaning litter from the sidewalks and one staff member in an altercation with a woman who was loitering on the sidewalk. I wrote down what I heard, so that I would be certain to remember it correctly: "You can't be hangin' in the street! You can sit in the courtyard. She said they're having a tour and this is very important." I stayed for another two hours, touring the grounds. The entire facility, inside and out, appeared to be in a very poor condition (exterior photos are available using the PICTURES link above). I commented that the facility was extremely delapidated, and asked why an organization that could raise $4 million for renovations couldn't spend $10,000 for a fresh coat of paint. If not for their neighbors, than at least for the morale of the residents who I would think would appreciate a bright, inviting residence? Nina commented that most of the buildings were set for demolition and renovation. This didn't explain to me why the two that were not set for demolition appeared to have not seen paint since George Sr. entered office.

Later, I queried Mrs. Moseley via email as to whether anyone had announced my coming that day, but I didn't receive any response.

Mon, 8/18/08
Wayside met with the Original Highlands Neighborhood Association to propose re-locating their East Market facility into the Original Highlands. Wayside's Chief Operating Officer admits that that they have a letter from the city giving them unhindered access to develop their existing East Jefferson Street property, but that they prefer the Original Highlands because it would be cheaper. Wayside reiterates that they do not want to move here without our support. This same statement was in their first letter to the Original Highlands neighborhood.

Residents raise concerns:

• East Market is densely commercial while the Original Highlands is densely residential, comparing them to each other is comparing apples to oranges.
• Crime, litter and panhandling are very serious issues here today, won't 350+ new homeless individuals only exacerbate this?
• Don't studies warn against concentrating poverty?
• Aren't smaller shelters able to fit into the community better, and serve the needs of their residents better?
• The Original Highlands is a very small neighborhood consisting of only 1000 residences. Adding 300 or more homeless individuals is vastly out of scale with what exists here today. Won't the sheer size of this proposed facility overwhelm the residential nature of this neigbhorhood?
• Doesn't Wayside have a warchest of $10,000,000 to $15,000,000 for their planned Jefferson Street development? Why jeopardize a small neighborhood when you have the money to expand your existing facilities?

Fri, 8/15/08
WHAS airs a story on Wayside seeking the Mercy facility.

Councilman Tom Owens: "If it means consolidation of their operations at the Mercy Academy site, I am unequivocally opposed."

Ron Haynes, on behalf of Councilman David Tandy: "Councilman Tandy would not have supported that agreement had he known of your intentions to consider the Mercy Academy Campus. His understanding was that you were going to expand on your current location at Jefferson Street. Please reconsider your interest in the Mercy Campus."

Late June, 2008
Nina Moseley, Wayside's Chief Operating Officer, holds a press conference to announce the sale of their East Market facility. The terms were not disclosed, but were said to be very generous. Statements were also made to the effect of how difficult it's been to run two separate facilities (i.e. multiple kitchens, multiple staffs, etc.).

The stage is set for Wayside's East Jefferson expansion, and for no longer having to deal with multiple facilities. Sadly, this is not the end of the story.