Redmond City Council approves a number of measures to address the houseless and homeless
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Redmond City Council met Tuesday evening with a number of key issues on the agenda, several focusing on the houseless and homeless.
Action items to be approved on the agenda included:
- A resolution
- Intergovernmental agreement
- Approval to lease land
- Collaboration between, Deschutes County, the city of Redmond and governor Tina Kotek’s office
All items address one main focus – the houseless and homeless in Redmond. All items were approved.
Specifically, the city staff requested council to approve leasing approximately 3 acres to the Redmond Oasis Village project, for the purpose of constructing and operating a small village that will provide temporary housing for homeless individuals.
Mayor Ed Fitch said: “Right now, we're completing the process of leasing the land to Oasis, which will have the tiny homes in place by the end of the year. Our second effort is going to be for a below-market rate RV park just to the north of Oasis."
"We're also working with the county on establishing a managed camp, so that we can move people off of the county land when they do the exchange with Department of State Lands and also move those people who are currently on the streets in northeast Redmond."
"I think it's important that both of those happen within the next 12 months, and I'm optimistic that we'll be able to figure out a situation where the homeless will have a safe location and our streets will not have homeless people on them, which will make it good for all the neighbors,” Fitch said.
The 3 acres of unimproved land along Highway 126 at Northeast 17th Street is to be subleased to the Redmond Oasis Village project, which is a part of the larger East Redmond Campus concept.
The Redmond Oasis Village project has been working to prepare the site for occupancy no later than January 2024.
