Safe Harbor of Grand Traverse has completed an environmental assessment and survey work of a city-owned building at 517 Wellington Street to determine how to proceed with a planned emergency homeless shelter at the site.

Safe Harbor spokesman Peter Starkel tells The Ticker the organization has been in a "holding pattern" on the project for several months due to limited building access because of mold issues on the property. "The city has been very reluctant to let anybody in, rightfully so, because of health concerns," he says. However, Mold Matters recently completed mold abatement in portions of the building that allowed both the Traverse City Film Festival to use the building this week as well as an architect and engineer hired by Safe Harbor to examine the property.

Starkel says the nonprofit is attempting to get a clear "understanding of building costs" to determine which of three possible routes to pursue: leasing the building, purchasing the building with the goal of renovating, or purchasing the building with the goal of tearing it down and constructing a new facility. Safe Harbor is still awaiting the architect's report to determine how to proceed. Once it's received - "in the next week or two," Starkel estimates - Safe Harbor's board will meet to discuss a course of action. "We don't yet know which is going to be the best scenario," says Starkel.

Purchasing the property - an option that would likely include a deed restriction limiting building use to an emergency shelter and reverting the property to the city if Safe Harbor closed - would require city commission approval. Starkel says no matter what option Safe Harbor pursues, he envisions moving forward in some capacity at 517 Wellington. "We wouldn't have gone through surveying if we didn't feel like we could do something with (the building)," he says. "We're not going to find another suitable location in the city limits, and if we looked at Garfield or East Bay Township, we'd have to go through the zoning process all over again. Location-wise, (517 Wellington) is great...and nothing I've seen in terms of costs have frightened me in terms of not moving forward."

Any path forward will likely mean at least another year before Safe Harbor opens its shelter. "We've already got our church schedule set (for 2015-16)...because even if everything went perfectly, we wouldn't have a building ready by this season," Starkel says.