NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — The city of New Smyrna Beach is looking for a solution to help those experiencing homelessness. 

However some residents are not happy with what they’ve come up with.

 “The commission felt like something needed to be done so they asked staff to investigate and come up with some ideas,” said New Smyrna Beach City Manager Khalid Resheidat.

What Resheidat and others came up with is a trailer community, similar to tiny homes that he says is both modular and cost effective.

“If the program does not come success, then we can actually just dismantle, we could resell the modulars, and that way it would not be a cost as we have for the city,”  said Resheidat.

Right now, the proposed site is a lot in an industrial area owned by the airport — off Turnbull Bay Road and Industrial Park Avenue. However, Roy Mattson, who lives right behind the lot, does not want to see the project developed there. 

“We don’t want them near our home, we don’t want them here especially because there is a small canal behind here that people could cross over and could be right in our effective back yards,” said Mattson.

Resheidat said so far this is only a concept, so nothing is final. He plans to factor all those points into their plan, which could lead them to another site. 

“I don’t think there is a site out there that is going to be a perfect site for a homeless center, but we are going to try to be as sensitive as possible to the community and the neighborhood,”  said Resheidat.

Mattson said he and his neighbors plan to pack the next commission meeting. 

“Yes, we do need to do something to help the homeless, but this is just not the right location,” he said.

Resheidat said that they still have a lot of work to do on this concept and it won’t be until the second commission meeting in June where it will be presented along with it’s proposed operations cost.