The Pallet Shelter Village coming soon to North Michigan Street will include about 25 fewer cabin-style units than previously anticipated, according to site plans the City of Lawrence released Friday.
The site was expected to include up to 75 individual cabin-like units with up to 85 beds. The new plans, which detail the layout of the future village, show the site will instead have 50 units.
Each cabin-style unit in the Pallet Shelter Village will include a heating and cooling source, locking doors and windows, smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector. The units are part of a village setting that includes restrooms, laundry and shower facilities. It will be raised at 256 N. Michigan St., the former site of Veritas Christian School. Part of the goal of the project is for people who are experiencing homelessness to have safety, privacy and dignity to help them transition into permanent housing.
The plan shows the fenced-in site’s 64-square-foot cabins in clusters of 10, 16 and 24; one laundry trailer and two hygiene trailers; three 100-square-foot office trailers; a fire access road; 16 parking spots and a bike parking area.
“The light grey text and drawings on the plan illustrate the original layout of the site prior to demolition, while the black text and drawings show the finalized site design plan for the Pallet Shelter Village,” according to the release.
View the plan below or click here to open the PDF in a separate window:
20230804-pallet-shelter-village-site-layoutThe final site design comes after a site analysis by Professional Engineering Consultants, according to the city’s news release.
“This step was essential to ensure the infrastructure and improvements required for the site are properly constructed before the project progresses,” according to the release.
The city has been seeking a third-party operator who will manage the site 24/7. In a June update to the Lawrence City Commission, staff members said they expected to have an operator in place by mid-July.
We asked Friday whether the city has received any bids from potential site operators, and if not, whether there was a backup plan in place.
“We have no update yet on the site operator, but will certainly keep you posted as we progress,” Laura McCabe, a spokesperson for the city, said via email. “We are sensitive to the community’s interest in this project and working hard to provide updates as we reach confirmed benchmarks.”
The Lawrence City Commission in December 2022 set aside about $4.5 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to pay for the project. In March, commissioners approved a $725,000 land purchase, a contract for $1.114 million of the temporary shelters and a resolution suspending zoning and code enforcement on the property for a year.
The cabins could be installed in late October or early November, according to the last update to the commission.
City staff members have previously said they plan to keep the North Lawrence camp open at least until the Pallet Shelter Village opens. They have also said they do not intend to open the Winter Emergency Shelter at the Community Building again this year.
The city has not yet provided details about how it will be determined who can stay at the Pallet Shelter Village.
There are more than 300 to 350 people experiencing homelessness in Lawrence currently, according to the city’s estimates.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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