HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-920 - Safe Camping Initiative (7)
CityClerk
From:Jack Dennis <jdennis10@me.com>
Sent:Saturday, June 14, 2025 11:13 AM
To:Agenda Item Comment
Cc:Macedo, Keith; Mayor
Subject:Agenda Item Comment: Safe Camping Initiative
Categories:Forwarded, Jonathan
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Hi all, I hope this finds you well. I live, and I am the homeowner at 1180 S Morningside Dr, our neighborhood is directly
adjacent to the proposed camp for the unhoused. I would like to express my deep concern for the proposed ‘safe’
camping initiative that is proposed to be stood up on City property right behind the 7-Hills Transitional Housing
Development.
I purchased my home at the end of 2021, as an affordable and safe area to live, while at the same time I was an IT
employee of the City of Fayetteville; and now as an employee of the University of Arkansas with the intention of building
my roots in Fayetteville and being close to everything our amazing City has to offer.
South Fayetteville has rebuilt itself and is continuing to do so, making it welcome for our residents to buy their first
home, invite local businesses to open up shops, and foster us all to become the community the Council and City Planners
have worked so hard for us to become.
The blight and serious health concerns at the 19th Street property were serious. The University of Arkansas Police
Department reported a seven fold increase in calls to that property in 2025. I would be happy to gather the call reports if
you would like to see them, but there were frequent illicit drug use, burglaries, arson, battery, and attempted murders.
Crime to University buildings in the vicinity of the 19th Street property increased dramatically - so it only concerns us all
what will happen to the neighborhoods and thousands of Fayetteville residents that surround the proposed camp site
on City property.
This proposed camp site is also within spitting distance to the City’s South Campus, where Recycling and Trash
Collection, Transportation, Fleet Services, and Water/Sewer/Meter operations are housed. Seeing how crime increased
at the University’s facilities storage complex near 19th street, I can only imagine how City operations would be disrupted
and the millions of dollars of City-owned assets could be put at risk.
Our neighborhood has flourished. The majority of us in Park Meadows and Creekside Meadows are the original
homeowners and we do not have a lot of renters. A lot of our neighborhood population is full of locals, with a lot of us
being either first time buyers, City employees, County employees, and University employees. We have employees here
from RTC, Transportation, Police, Fire, and Water and Sewer. From the University, we have business professors,
engineering instructors, multiple IT employees, Student Affairs, and others. Those that are moving out are typically
selling their homes to other families; not corporations looking to make a profit off of our citizens. I fear that if this
proposed camp gets stood up adjacent to our neighborhood that may change; our families will move out and
corporations will move in only adding to Fayetteville’s crippling housing crisis. I will unfortunately likely be forced to be
one of those who sells my house and moves out of Fayetteville.
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The Unhoused issues in Fayetteville are not something that can be solved overnight; and it is definitely not something
that we should take a reactionary response on. It will get to the same issues the University had, except now it becomes
even more of a taxpayer issue to solve. Lets take the time to solve this the right way, and not add to the ever growing
Housing issue this City has and put the property of lives at risk of our dedicated public servants who serve our
community.
Best regards,
Jack Dennis
Park Meadows Neighborhood
1180 S Morningside Dr
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