DeKalb Planning and Zoning Commission recommends Safe Passage’s final facility development plan

DeKALB – Safe Passage, Inc. is one step closer to breaking ground on its new facility.

On Monday evening, the City of DeKalb’s Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously voted to recommend Safe Passage’s new facility’s final development plan to the City Council. The DeKalb City Council will vote upon the plan at their next meeting scheduled for Monday, June 28.

Safe Passage is DeKalb County’s only domestic violence prevention and survivor advocacy center.

Mary Ellen Schaid, Safe Passage’s executive director, said that a new shelter is needed “because the current shelters is just too small and too tight to serve people in an appropriately therapeutic way.”

“We need a bigger shelter, and the proposed shelter is about double the size we currently have,” she said. “Our current shelter just isn’t adequate in size.”

On Dec. 14, 2020, the DeKalb City Council approved Ordinance 2020-077, which granted the rezoning of the Safe Passage site at 217 Franklin St. in DeKalb from the central business district to the planned development commercial district and also approved a preliminary development plan.

DeKalb’s city ordinance required that a final development plan including architectural elevations, engineering plan, lighting plan, landscape plan and final plat be submitted for review by the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council.

Safe Passage is currently located in six buildings – five homes and one apartment building – along S. Fourth and S. Fifth streets. The building at Safe Passage’s proposed site, the former DeKalb Clinic, was demolished in December 2020.

The proposed building will be about 40,320 square feet and have two stories and a lower level. The new building will contain an emergency shelter, counseling services, administrative offices and an outdoor playground.

The building’s first floor will contain counseling services and administrative offices, the second floor will have 15 separate living quarters and about 54 beds for Safe Passage’s shelter and the lower level will be used for group therapy, children’s services and storage.

A 22-space parking area is proposed to the east of the new building. Safe Passage has an agreement with St. George Greek Orthodox Church to use their 32-space parking lot, and there are also free city parking lots and street parking available in the vicinity.

If approved by City Council, construction is planned to start by the end of 2021, with the facility opening in late 2022.

Max Maxwell, chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission, said that Safe Passage’s proposed new facility is “wonderful.”

“Of all the things our commission has voted on recently, this is one of the most important for the community,” he said. “Safe Passage makes a great difference, and they’re repurposing a location that was unused and shut down for a long period of time. They will have a centralized location in DeKalb and one new permanent building.”

Schaid said that the proposed project cost is $7.5 million, with about one third of the cost needing to be raised before construction can start.

“Any donation, any size will help,” Schaid said. “We invite everyone in the community to be a partner with us as we build our new facility. ... Our slogan is ‘Because no one deserves to be abused,’ and that’s why we exist, to help. We are not helping people achieve safety when they are in dire situations, we help survivors rebuild their lives. We help them get jobs, continue their education and become conductive and contributing members of our community.”

For more information about Safe Passage or to donate, visit www.safepassagedv.org.