Ephrata Borough Council on Monday officially took the first step to change its zoning rules around emergency winter shelters.
By a unanimous vote, council members authorized the municipality’s staff to move forward with a draft zoning amendment. It would extend the number of days that shelters can be open, but impose more rules on how they operate.
Council’s action is the first step in a lengthy process, Borough Manager Nancy Harris said. The borough’s and county’s respective Planning Commissions must review the draft amendment; that’s followed by a public hearing and a final council vote to approve the changes. It’s unlikely a final vote will take place until next year, perhaps in February, Harris told reporters after the meeting.
Homelessness, and Ephrata’s response to it, have been a recurring topic of concern since the pandemic. At various times, residents have complained about loitering and misbehavior such as littering and public urination.
The borough’s existing ordinance allows temporary shelters in industrial and “highway commercial” areas. In addition, churches and other places of worship may host an “extreme cold weather emergency shelter” for up to 60 days a year.
The draft zoning amendment would permit shelters as “accessory uses” for places of worship in neighborhood commercial areas as well as highway and industrial areas, Harris said. They would be allowed to operate for up to 90 days, Dec. 21 to March 20.
Applicants would need to come before borough council for approval. They would be required to show they have security and adequate supervision, defined as at least one staff member per 10 guests. Shelters would have to provide enough space for guests’ belongings and keep their premises litter-free. They would also have to have an intake area for people to wait without lining up outside on the street or sidewalk.
The nonprofit Good Samaritan operates a shelter under the borough’s existing zoning provisions. It is hosted at The Living Room, a church at 409 State St. This past winter, it was open from Jan. 1 to March 1.
Zoning changes cannot be applied retroactively, so Good Sam is free to continue running its shelter at The Living Room as-is, Harris said. If it does want to make changes, and new zoning rules are in effect, it can apply for permission to operate under them.
Good Sam spokeswoman Rachel Shelly said the nonprofit’s shelter already follows the practices outlined in the draft amendment. The Living Room church did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment.
Borough Council previously tried to amend the zoning rules for shelters this summer. Mayor Ralph Mowen vetoed that measure, saying it was too strict and would have made it virtually impossible to set up a shelter in an area that would be convenient for guests to reach. In August, a vote to override the veto failed narrowly to reach the two-thirds threshold, failing 5-3.
On Monday, Mowen said the new amendment does not include the strictures he objected to, and that if council approves it, he expects to sign it.
The borough’s Planning Commission is set to consider the amendment at its meeting Tuesday, Nov. 19.
