Proposed 'tent city' for homeless faces hurdles

Two government-issued reports on a proposed "tent city" to accommodate homeless people conclude the mix of tents and wooden shelters on East Hillsborough Avenue would constitute substandard housing and be inappropriate for the neighborhood.

One report, from the Hillsborough Planning Commission, was completed earlier this month. The second, released this week, is from the county's planning and growth management staff.

The opinions are among several that will be weighed as authorities decide whether to allow Catholic Charities to open temporary facilities for 250 homeless people on the site of a former church at 6410 E. Hillsborough Ave.

A rezoning hearing before a land-use hearing officer is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday in the county commission chambers at the County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd. County commissioners are scheduled to vote on the matter July 21.

"The most important thing in my mind is to make a good showing at the zoning hearing so they know there is a large voting base not in favor of this," said East Lake Park resident Hal Hart. He spoke Tuesday night to more than 40 people who met at the East Lake Park civic center.

Residents from Staley Estates also attended. Hart said residents from Grant Park and Highland Pines have signed petitions against the project.

The project is an effort to address the needs of a growing homeless problem, said Frank Murphy, Catholic Charities president.

The focus would be to help people find jobs and independence. The maximum stay at the tent city would be 90 days.

The planning commission's report concludes such a campground belongs in a rural area and does not fit with existing or planned commercial, industrial and other development along East Hillsborough Avenue.

The report found an optional use for the site - 240 apartments approved in 2007 - would be acceptable.

In a separate report, the county's planning and growth management staff found that the proposed tents and casitas would be substandard without plumbing, water or lights. Also, it was not clear whether the complex should be classed as a camp or a family social services project, the report said.

As a camp, it only would be allowed in a rural setting for recreation, education or vacation purposes. And support services proposed for the homeless would not be permitted in districts allowing camps, the staff's report noted.