Jan. 4, 2026 11:30a
(WGTD)---The Shalom Center—Kenosha’s primary homeless shelter—wants to expand---slightly.
The 39th Ave. facility currently has 80 beds, with another ten cots that are set up during inclement weather.
The cots are located in an addition that was approved in 2022 to serve primarily as a resource center and added warehouse space for the center’s food pantry.
Shalom wants to expand its cot capacity by six to enable it to set up to 16 cots.
The request will be considered Thursday by the city’s Plan Commission.
But there’s already a hitch. According to city documents, the fire code would only allow for up to three additional cots.
The commission meeting begins at five at city hall.
Another item up for consideration is a proposal to expand the Starbucks location at 39th Ave. and 75th St. Starbucks wants to build a bigger drive-thru and expand parking on an adjacent city-owned lot that used to be home to a gas station. The bigger drive-thru would alleviate traffic jams that often times occur at the corner when the line gets long. The landlord for Starbucks would purchase the entire city-owned lot.
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