SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) — Following months of conversations, Catholic Community Services is moving forward with its request to Salt Lake City to expand the Weigand Resource Center in downtown.

Located at 437 West 200 South, just south of The Gateway and the Delta Center , the Weigand Resource Center is a refuge for those experiencing homelessness. The Center provides shelter in the daytime as well as many resources such as hygiene products, showering, laundry and partnerships to connect those experiencing homelessness with tools to reach self-sufficiency.

The shelter has been seeking expansion in the area, however, that raised concerns with local businesses and companies, including Vestar , the owners of The Gateway. Some of those concerns included any negative impacts on safety in the Rio Grande area.

According to Catholic Community Services (CCS) and Vestar, those concerns are a thing of the past. CCS Director Randy Chappell wrote a letter last week to Salt Lake City’s Planning Director, Nick Norris, detailing a collaborative effort between CCS, the Gateway/Rio Grande community, Solutions Utah , the Salt Lake City Police Department and Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office .

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“We at CCS are happy to advise to you that, collaboratively, we have worked together to come up with solutions that we, including CCS, believe will help to improve the important services that CCS provides at the Weigand Center as well as the surrounding community,” wrote Chappell.

Chappell said CCS and the group have agreed to hang “No Camping, No Loitering, No Littering” signs that cite the Salt Lake City Code and penalties. Other conditions include additional lighting to act as a crime deterrent, a regular and frequent security patrol, and SLCPD access to the Weigand Center’s security cameras.

In addition, the Center will not be allowed to house those experiencing homelessness overnight. Center visitors will be issued an ID card with a barcode and photo, which the Center will use to log entries. That log will reportedly be available to SLCPD at any time upon request.

Chappell also said a portion of the expansion will include mental health services, though he said CCS is still working on the details of who will be the provider of those services and how exactly those services will be provided.

“This is a great start to discuss the deterrent of camping, loitering and illegal activity,” said Vestar President and CEO David Larcher. “But there has to be increased patrolling and actual enforcement of criminal activity by Salt Lake City Police Department to make the area truly safe for everyone. We hope that Salt Lake City will be the community’s partner in that endeavor.”

The Gateway General Manager Bryan Hill said the shopping center’s business owners and residents have long felt that “additional strategies” were needed in order for the Rio Grande area to be a safe place to live, shop and work.

“Catholic Community Services has been a great partner in ensuring the health and safety of the homeless community,” said Hill.

While a deal tentative agreement has been reached, expansion is still not guaranteed for the Weigand Resource Center.

The Salt Lake City Planning Commission will meet at City Hall on Wednesday, Sept. 27 to discuss the requested permit for expansion. The public is invited to attend the meeting to learn more or provide comments and feedback on the expansion. Comments can also be emailed to the planning commission at planning.comments@slcgov.com and requested to be read during the meeting for official and public record.

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