Second homeless center clears final administrative hurdle
The city’s second proposed homeless resource center is now moving forward after the Salt Lake City Planning Commission approved a conditional use request for the proposed High Avenue Homeless Resource Center (HRC). The center will occupy the 200 West block of High Avenue in the city’s Ballpark Neighborhood and will serve both men and women in a 200-bed facility.
Last month the commission approved a conditional use request for an additional center that will serve only women near State Street at 700 South. In that same meeting commission members voted to table the High Avenue request to allow time for police to review neighbors concerns about public safety issues related to the center’s location.
Wednesday’s approval means that the city can begin construction on both centers once building and demo permits are approved.
The High Avenue HRC will predominantly serve male residents and will go located just east of 300 West on High Avenue (around 1500 South). The site is directly south of the Enclave Apartments, a 251-unit affordable housing development that opened in 2016.
The High Avenue building will have 200 emergency beds, 160 of which are reserved for men. The two-story building will front both High Avenue and Paramount Avenue. The ground floor will include the 160 emergency beds, dining area, kitchen, exam room, clinic offices, hygiene room, intake office, courtyard and storage.
The second floor will include 40 emergency beds reserved for women, offices, a community room, programming rooms, a commons area, crisis rooms and a computer lab.
AJC Architects designed both resource centers and both buildings will be built to energy efficient standards. The project will be just over two blocks from the Ballpark TRAX Station and half a block from the 9 Bus Route that runs every 30 minutes on 300 West, connecting the Central Pointe TRAX Station to the University of Utah via 900 South.
