Bend, Deschutes Co. leaders vote to close most of Juniper Ridge to homeless by next May, create ‘temporary safe stay’ area

(Update: Adding video, comments from meeting)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Deschutes County commissioners and Bend city councilors voted unanimously at a joint meeting Thursday afternoon to close much of the the city- and county-owned land at juniper Ridge north of Bend to homeless campers by next May 31 and provide a “temporary safe stay” area with services on part of the property.

Such joint meetings are somewhat rare – but even rarer is to come out of one with every elected official backing a staff-created, elected officials-wordsmithed joint action plan, based on much staff work beforehand and with discussion but no real disagreements among the two elected bodies, on a very controversial subject.

But local governments have faced increasing pressure to take quick action and reduce the fire, health and safety dangers posed by homeless living at dozens of camps in the wooded area – concerns heightened by the Mile Marker 132 Fire a month ago that forced evacuation of nearby residents for the second time in four years.

Here's the agreed-to joint action statement:

Similar issues in recent years off China Hat Road south of Bend also are being tackled in similar coordinated fashion, as Mickie Derting, city strategic initiatives explained:

Juniper Ridge in China Hat Road was the biggest topic at Thursday's meeting, as Bend and the county approved a proposed safe camping area on Juniper Ridge that would shrink the encampment area to just 170 acres.

Both offices would coordinate resources for safety and fire risk management. But city lawyers warned the joint effort could cause legal trouble in the future over issues such as how concentrated the relocated homeless camps must be, and whether the people living there feel - and are - safe.

"It's a theory where if the state government creates a particularized danger and then knows about it, then it's obvious you can be sued," said City Attorney Mary Winters. "If you're going to get the idea of congregating closely for the providers, if people feel unsafe, then you have to be able to adjust."

According to homeless responders, more than 200,000 pounds of trash were removed by both the city and county since last summer. On Juniper Ridge, 150 to 200 people are currently living on city-owned land alone. The area has been the center of debate for homelessness in the city as crime, garbage, and fire have all been problems at the encampment. The agreed-to deadline for the closure and relocation is May 31, around when fire season begins.

The stage was set in positive fashion with details of efforts conducted so far to tackle homelessness around the city and county (shelters, safe parking, Villages and the like) and then focusing on Juniper Ridge, including lots of trash removal, drinking water and portable toilets, as well as armed security that got to know the campers, called in three fires but never had to use force, and much more. (The full city-county presentation is at the end of this article.)

There was no sugar-coating of the problem, also showing cut gates and locks, etc., but officials said the number of incidents has been reduced since the governments and a wide array of organizations began focusing on helping people in the area and meeting some needs in limited fashion - including security patrols, at a cost of about $17,000 a month.

The “temporary safe stay” area would be 170 acres of city- and county-owned land east of Highway 97 and west of the railroad tracks, providing services such as water, trash and sanitation. Several area residents have pleaded with the city not to use the ‘Rock Crusher 2’ site near their homes for a managed camp – and the plans now call for it only to be used for property storage.

Matt Stuart, the city’s real estate director, has been heavily involved in the Juniper Ridge efforts and was out in the area when the recent fire broke out, posting notices of the county’s open-fire ban and handing out extinguishers.

He spoke of giving notice of having to move up to 60 days out and said, “Ideally, we’d like to let them know before the end of the year, start working with them.”

State land-use restrictions outside urban growth boundaries have been one of the hurdles local officials have faced. Winters also noted that a section of legislation had a “carve-out” saying local governments could let people stay overnight in vehicles, without regard to zoning or the UGB.

“We are not saying that’s completely risk-free,” legally, she said. “It’s not a total model of clarity, not a land-use decision, but it has not been litigated. We believe there are strong arguments we are completely willing to defend. If wrong, we go back to the Legislature and say, ‘write better laws.’"

After some language adjustments, the prepared action plan got the unanimous city and county leaders’ approval in two votes.

In the end, no one was kidding themselves about the work still ahead and the hurdles that could emerge in an effort to make things safer for everyone.

“This is a start, not the end,” said Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler.

Below is the city-county staff presentation on what's been done to address the houseless issue and what was proposed: