A proposal to construct a four-story, 101-unit apartment building in Pleasant Hill for extremely low-income adults will be considered on Thursday by a city board, which must approve allowing the supervised group residence on the property before the project can move forward.

Greater Des Moines Supportive Housing, a nonprofit group that provides housing and services to people facing housing barriers, has proposed developing the project at 922 and 1000 N. Pleasant Hill Blvd. The building would include efficiency units that have refrigerators, ranges and washers and dryers.

The building would be staffed 24 hours a day. Services provided to residents would include case management, transportation, job training, budgeting and asset building, and job skills.

The housing is aimed at adults with “extremely low incomes who can’t afford fair market [rent] apartments,” said Emily Osweiler, Greater Des Moines Supportive Housing’s chief executive officer. That could include people who are unemployed or are receiving Social Security benefits, she said. It could also include people who have aged out of foster care, are disabled or are veterans, or people 65 and older, the fastest-growing group in need of affordable housing, she said. About half of the residents will be employed, according to a flier about the project.

“Our model is ‘housing plus services,’” said Osweiler, who previously worked at the YMCA’s Supportive Housing Campus at 2 S.W. Ninth St. in downtown Des Moines. Greater Des Moines Supportive Housing is modeled after the Y’s program, she said.

“The Y’s [program] is doing great work, but our community needs more of that type of housing,” Osweiler said. If the proposed development moves forward, it would be the first for the nonprofit group, which is based in Johnston.

Some Pleasant Hill residents have expressed concerns about the project on social media. Signs have been erected along a portion of Pleasant Hill Boulevard stating that the proposed project “is not good for our community.”

City staff were not available to comment on the proposed project, Pleasant Hill’s spokesperson said. Pleasant Hill Mayor Sara Kurovski wrote in an email that she couldn’t comment on the proposal.

“This is going before the Board of Adjustment for a conditional use permit. … The board is a quasi-judicial board,” Kurovski wrote. “Interference with them can jeopardize the legal standings [for] either side. To attempt to interfere would be irresponsible on my part at this stage.”

Osweiler said she has heard the concerns raised by residents, including questions about drug and alcohol use, loitering, fighting and the overall safety of people living, working and recreating near the proposed apartment project, which is adjacent to the Gay Lea Wilson Trail.

Drugs and alcohol are not allowed on the property, Osweiler said. On-site staff will be available to thwart problems among residents or with others.

“If a store or people in the greater community have concerns, at a typical apartment, who do you call? Maybe the property manager,” Osweiler said. “Our staff will be available to address concerns. We want to be problem-solving with people.”

All applicants will undergo a background check conducted by a third-party group, Osweiler said. People who have been convicted of felonies involving crimes against people will not be allowed to live in the apartments.

“We will have a lower barrier for entry because we believe in second chances and that people can change, we also understand that because everyone is living and working there together, we want to keep the entire community safe,” Osweiler said.

Osweiler stressed that the proposed development is different from a halfway house, which typically is transitional housing for people who have completed addiction treatment programs or finished serving time in prison.

“This is permanent housing,” Osweiler said. “People will be signing leases to live in their own private apartment. There is no time limit for how long they will be able to live in the [apartment]. … We are not a shelter. We are not a recovery program. We are not public housing. We are housing plus services.

Residents will sign six- or 12-month leases that can be renewed, Osweiler said. A flier about the proposed development estimated residents will likely stay in an apartment for about 18 months.

In 2022, the nonprofit considered purchasing the former Valley West Inn hotel in West Des Moines and converting the structure to supportive housing. The West Des Moines City Council agreed to support the project financially with $840,000 that would have been used to help purchase and renovate the property. The group’s plans failed to move forward, and the hotel has since been razed.

“It would have been a great location – close to transportation, services and jobs,” Osweiler said. “It didn’t work out and since then, we’ve vetted about a dozen different sites in Polk County.”

The nonprofit group settled on the Pleasant Hill site because of the lot’s size and its proximity to medical services, grocery stores, transportation and potential jobs.

“We vetted several sites and this one rose to the top,” Osweiler said. The proposed development also fits in with the city of Pleasant Hill’s comprehensive plan, which includes filling in vacant lots and providing a range of housing options, she said.

“We’re bringing affordable and workforce housing to a place that wants to continue to develop, as we are also increasing the city’s tax base,” Osweiler said. If the project is developed on the site, the property will be assessed property taxes, she said.

The Pleasant Hill Board of Adjustment meets at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the council chambers at 5160 Maple Drive in Pleasant Hill.