Athens City Council opened a public hearing on Nov. 3 on an amendment to the city zoning code to permit temporary housing shelters as a conditionally permitted use in R‑3 and B‑3 zones. Supporters argued the change would allow short-term, supervised sheltering options for people who are unhoused; opponents said the text could invite encampments and harm residential neighborhoods.

The hearing drew a mix of residents, social‑service staff, students and people with lived experience. Jeff Lyons, a retired contractor who said he built a Conestoga hut currently at The Gathering Place, described the structures as “very well constructed, very well designed” and said they give occupants “real security and protection from the weather.” Daniel West, a staff member at The Gathering Place for about 19 years, said the proposal responds to limited alternative placements and frequent demand: “Without basic shelter, people’s recovery is being held back.”

Several social‑work professionals and students described the outreach and services The Gathering Place provides. “When someone has no shelter in the winter or access to food, they are faced with an impossible choice, freeze or starve,” said Megan Benjamin, a social‑work intern. Staff and volunteers recounted operating an emergency warming center last winter and said they did not feel unsafe while providing those services.

Opponents raised safety, property‑value and neighborhood concerns. Aiden Fox, an Ohio University senior who said he had previously experienced homelessness, urged the council to seek other locations and argued a site near Court Street could make recovery more difficult: “This rezoning would place them right next to Court Street, which would inevitably make any sort of recovery system…exponentially more difficult.” Jack Stauffer and other residents warned the change could lower property values and said the city should not appear to invite encampments.

Council and staff repeatedly noted the ordinance as written contains oversight measures. Kent Lankes, who spoke in favor, pointed to requirements for access to services, review by the service safety director and Board of Zoning Appeals involvement as checks that would prevent blanket or town‑wide implementation.

The council confined comments at the hearing to the zoning amendment; remarks specifically about siting at The Gathering Place were directed to a later second‑reading item on that location. Council did not vote on the zoning amendment during the hearing; the record shows the ordinance was at second reading and that further consideration was scheduled.

Why it matters: Athens has a high poverty rate relative to the region and community members said even three temporary units could provide critical access to shelter and supportive services for people at immediate risk. Opponents warned of impacts on nearby residential areas and universities. The council’s action on the zoning text would determine whether property owners and service providers could seek conditional use approval for temporary shelters in those zone categories.

What’s next: The zoning amendment remained under council consideration at second reading; comments on any particular Gathering Place siting were to be taken at the later agenda item addressing that site. Council members and staff said any deployment under the ordinance would involve additional approvals and oversight.