Deschutes County commissioners are continuing to push Gov. Tina Kotek for a workaround on state land use laws in an effort to help a private property owner set up a managed homeless camp just east of Bend.

In a July 24 letter, commissioners stressed the “immediate need” for more shelter options in Deschutes County, calling for the governor’s assistance to pave the way for a managed camp outside the city’s urban growth boundary — a prospect Kotek has held firmly against.

The property in question is located near the intersection of Hamby Road and U.S. Highway 20, about one mile east of Bend’s urban growth boundary. Property owners Craig and Lori Gales are willing to set up a managed camp on 8 acres of undeveloped land in between the Grace Reformed Presbyterian Church and the Church of the Cascades.

But state law does not allow managed camps on land outside an urban growth boundary zoned for farming or forest uses, said Erik Kropp, deputy county administrator. He said the property could be used as a parking area under the county’s safe parking program if it were redesignated and zoned for residential or multiple-use agricultural.

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Deschutes County commissioners clash over future of homeless camps

According to commissioners, the Gales are taking steps to make the zone change, but an application hasn’t been submitted. Deschutes County Community Development Director Peter Gutowsky said zoning applications usually take four to six months, and longer if they are appealed to the state’s land use board.

Commissioners want a faster solution.

“We are seeking to expedite the process that also allows for a more comprehensive solution that provides the opportunity for safe parking, managed camping, and/or tiny homes/shelter pods,” the letter said.

Commissioner Patti Adair expressed a similar urgency in emails to Kotek in June.

“Your executive order would be appreciated now,” she wrote.

Emergency rules

In the July 24 letter, commissioners also suggested the governor direct the Department of Land Conservation and Development to propose emergency rules for sheltering and interim housing on land outside of cities for people experiencing homelessness.

“We are also open to other options that we have not contemplated,” the letter said.

The governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the letter by The Bulletin’s deadline. In a July email, Anca Matica, a spokesperson for the governor’s office, said Kotek believes local governments should exhaust their options for creating temporary shelters within the urban growth boundary in order to keep people in need closer to the infrastructure and services in cities.

Kotek articulated the same position during a visit to Central Oregon in August 2023.

Suitable land?

Late last year, the county’s Coordinated Houseless Response Office reached out to local governments and requested lists of public properties that were suitable for development of a transitional shelter. In response, the city of Bend identified 20 properties for further review. Four of those were already in use as homeless shelters. Others included public parking lots such as City Hall. One property, Shepherd’s House Franklin Avenue shelter, has since been established.

The list included parts of Juniper Ridge, a swath of undeveloped county- and city-owned land north of Bend where many unsanctioned encampments already exist. According to a memo from the city, Bend owns 370 acres of land inside the urban growth boundary at Juniper Ridge. The city plans to sell 200 acres, build affordable housing on 33 acres and a public works campus on another 35 acres, where construction is already underway.

That left about 100 acres under consideration for managed camping or safe parking, although the land has “significant challenges” including lack of infrastructure and access.

Money matters

Millions of dollars are ready to be spent on homelessness in Deschutes County, including $1.5 million the county earmarked earlier this year and $1.1 million for shelter pods, which came from the governor’s 2023 executive order.

The funds could be used on several proposed projects, including expanded safe parking areas, tiny-home villages and managed camps.

Gales Brothers LLC, which owns the 8-acre property east of Bend, applied for $729,000 to build and operate a safe parking program. A review team with the regional homelessness office did not recommend the project for funding because the firm had no prior experience with homeless shelter work, and because of the zoning hurdle.

Chuck Hemingway, a homeless advocate and volunteer program manager with shelter developer Central Oregon Villages, has worked with Craig and Lori Gales on their idea for a shelter for several years.

He said the property would work well for a safe parking area or other managed camp for several reasons: easy access for service providers, proximity to medical services and unhoused people already live in the general vicinity.

“It’s reasonable to think that an area that is adjacent to the urban growth boundary and could easily be grouped within it could function as a location where people who are experiencing homelessness could have a safe and secure place to be,” he said.