The City Council will decide Tuesday whether to overturn this week’s decision to place a wintertime homeless shelter in the East Village.
Councilman Kevin Faulconer is pushing to find a site other than the one the council selected last Tuesday in the burgeoning condominium neighborhood within the 2nd District that he represents.
The location the council chose, bounded by 11th Street, Park Avenue, G Street and Market Street, was made too hastily with too little public comment, said Steve McNally, Faulconer’s chief of staff. It’s also near more residents than any of the other options the council had to choose from Tuesday, he said.
“The site the council chose was the absolute worst possible one. It’s the most densely populated of all the sites,” he said.
Faulconer and Councilwoman Toni Atkins were the only two to vote against the East Village site, with other six supporting it.
The issue of locating the homeless shelter and other social services has been a political hot potato. The selection of East Village broke up an eight-year streak in which the shelter has been placed in Barrio Logan, which lies in District 8. The area’s councilman, Ben Hueso, has long advocated for its move out of his district.
In order to move the shelter, which is scheduled to open Nov. 1, from the current East Village choice, Faulconer would have to round up the support of five other council members.
Councilwoman Donna Frye, who asked for the reconsideration, said she would change her vote for Faulconer because she felt the public should have had more time than the week that was given for notice.