By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
While questions about a potential new business dominated much of the Jan. 10 Saint Jo City Council meeting, discussion also continued about updating a lease with Easy Street Shelter and the possible deeding of city land to the shelter.
At its January meeting the shelter volunteers asked for the city to update the lease as well as consider giving them the land, which could assist the group with applying for improvement and building grants, that require the non-profit own the land to apply. The item was tabled to obtain legal information about the issues.
Mayor Protem Carla Hennessey told the group per the city attorney even if the property is rezoned the shelter with its 50-year lease will still be able to operate under that new zoning of commercial. Nothing would change unless the shelter ceased to operate then the new one would apply.
As for deeding the property to ESA, Hennessey said the entire zoning process would have to start again with a new survey and hearings with that section pulled out. She also expressed her personal opinion that it is not a good idea to give away city property and it could set a precedent.
Cindy Castle of the ESS board said that still leaves the shelter in a quandary where it can’t grow and improve through grants without owning the land. She also has concerns about the city council at some point in time saying they want to terminate the lease and the shelter has to move.

Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.