Jordan’s Place, a local nonprofit teen community center, is in the midst of moving locations.

But the center hit a setback in getting approval to operate out of a new building in downtown Warrenton.

The teen center has been closed since June 15 while staff have been in the process of moving to a new location. The current building is at 202 E. Main St., and the proposed new location is less than a block away, at 105 N. East St. 

But to open at the new location, Jordan’s Place needs a conditional use permit (CUP) from Warrenton’s Planning and Zoning Commission and the city’s board of aldermen. 

Getting that CUP has been more difficult than co-founders Cathy Pritchett and Kelli Clodfelter expected.

“We thought we were on good standing,” said Clodfelter, adding that the city of Warrenton has been very supportive of their mission to serve local youth since Jordan’s Place opened in 2015. 

In 2017, Warrenton aldermen agreed to pay $20,000 to help the center afford its rent and utilities. At the time, city leaders cautioned Jordan’s Place not to expect another contribution of that size. They recommended finding a more affordable location.

Organizers said they did just that, seeking out a location with about half of their previous monthly cost. The North East Street building is about 2,000 square feet smaller and will be easier to staff, they said.

Clodfelter said since Jordan’s Place had already been approved for the same permit in 2015, they hadn’t expected much of a challenge in getting a new permit just to move less than a block away.

However, concerns raised by local business owners have now put that move on hold. During an Aug. 2 planning and zoning commission meeting, Warrenton Downtown Association President Bob Truetken said some member business owners are concerned about recent vandalism in the area.

More than a dozen vandalisms this year in the downtown area and nearby parks have been attributed to young people.

“We’re in total support of what Jordan’s Place does for its kids, but we don’t think downtown is the place for these kids to go,” Truetken said.

Chadlin Andrews, whose Rat Daddy’s Tattoo Company is adjacent to the planned Jordan’s Place location, said his business is among the victims.

“My building has been vandalized three times. ... I have personally had to chase youth out of the back area,” Andrews told the planning commission. He said the building has been spray-painted and had windows broken.

The planning and zoning commission postponed voting on the permit and advised the heads of Jordan’s Place to meet with downtown businesses to try to resolve the concerns.

City Attorney Christopher Graville was quick to point out that law enforcement data doesn’t show any correlation between Jordan’s Place and property damage. He said most of the calls directly related to Jordan’s Place have been about teens loitering outside the building when it wasn’t open.

Pritchett, one of the center co-founders, said it isn’t fair to blame Jordan’s Place for problems that existed in the area since before the teen center opened. There is no evidence that any property damage is a result of the teen center being there, she said.

She added that Jordan’s Place works closely with local police, schools and other community organizations to address any known problems among teens who go to the center.

Jordan’s Place plans to install cameras and rear fencing at its new location, with the approval of the landlord, city and other tenants, Pritchett said. That will make the location and its neighbors more secure against vandals and help police investigate any property damage, she said.

Jordan’s Place organizers now plan to meet with nearby business owners and hope to address any concerns ahead of the next planning and zoning meeting.

Pritchett and Clodfelter offered an apology to the youth and families served by Jordan’s Place for the unexpectedly long closure.

“We had every intention of reopening in August,” Pritchett said.

If Jordan’s Place doesn’t get approval to open at the new location, it will simply reopen at its current building on Main Street, she added.

The Warrenton Planning and Zoning Commission will once again consider the CUP for the teen center’s new location at its next meeting, Sept. 6, at Warrenton City Hall.