A group of Del City residents intend to protest a proposed halfway house for convicted felons during tonight's planning commission meeting.
The public meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at city hall, 3701 SE 15th Street.
The commission will hear the proposed rezoning request that would allow up to 100 felons seeking rehabilitation to live in the vacant Howard Memorial Baptist Church, which is situated at the southeast corner of Reno Avenue and Sunnylane Road.
The California-based organization known as Center Point Inc. is seeking the rezoning to house the inmates. If the rezoning is approved, the church would issue a long-term lease to Center Point for 20 years for $1 each year.
Center Point is a 40-year old organization started in 1971 to help male addicts turn their lives around, according to the organization's website. They currently operate 17 facilities in four states, including three in Oklahoma.
Center Point's current presence in the state includes a men's facility on Interstate 35 in Oklahoma City and two others in Tulsa.
However, some neighbors and their families don't want the facility anywhere near them.
Karen Phillips, an outspoken critic of the halfway house, said her 98-year-old mother lives less than a mile from the proposed halfway house.
"Our concern is they (inmates) will have the opportunity to be in the neighborhood if they get off the property. The owner of the pawn shop across the street said he's concerned because he has guns in there. It's too much danger for the neighborhood. The people here are terrified this will pass," she said.
Phillips said she understands there must be ` e chances of them (inmates) getting to my mother's house are remote, but she could not defend herself against anything."
Men who are placed in the proposed facility are supposed to be non-violent offenders, but Phillips said she's been told the residents would include men convicted of rape, murder and sex offenses.
"I'm not sure we're getting the true picture of who will be there, but I plan on being there Thursday night," she said.
The city council will consider the issue at its July 16 meeting.
For more information about Center Point, visit their website at www.cpinc.org.
Editor Tim Farley and reporter Vicki Middleton contributed to this report.
