By GARRET JAROS/YachatsNews
YACHATS – The city of Yachats has identified nine possible locations where camping on city property could be allowed following a city council-passed ordinance last month that bans camping on most public property.
To stem homeless people from erecting campsites willy-nilly across public property, municipalities across Oregon have passed ordinances to limit where camping can occur. But a state law that took effect last July makes clear that camping on public property is legal when no shelter is available — with the caveat cities can determine which properties to make available.
Without an ordinance in place to designate parameters, Oregon municipalities cannot enforce camping bans on any public property.
When passing the camping ordinance at its March 20 meeting, the Yachats city council identified a long list of city properties where camping is not allowed but did not — on legal advice and suggestions from other cities — identify where in the city camping might be allowed.
The Yachats’ ordinance goes into effect April 20. Waldport passed a nearly identical ordinance that went into effect last July. But while the two public hearings required to pass the camping ordinance passed without public comment in Waldport, it was quite the opposite in Yachats.
During the first public hearing at the Yachats council meeting in February, several people voiced concern about the rights and well-being of local homeless people. With the consent of councilors, a work group comprised of local residents and city manager Bobbi Price met to discuss the issue and possible solutions before a second hearing in March. The second hearing elicited even more testimony from residents before the council passed the ordinance.
Since then, the work group has met once and will meet again Monday to come up with plans how to help the homeless navigate not only where they can camp but also what services are available to them – nearly all of which are 21 miles away in Newport.
In the meantime, Yachats’ city staff has been working to identify properties where people can camp while also taking steps to prepare one particular site. While nine city-owned locations have been identified only one or possibly two likely pass the sniff test.
“None of them are ideal,” Price said. “I think a key thing to say is we are not recommending these, but these are places where we’re not going to be knocking on somebody’s door.”
None of the sites have been vetted by the city council and none are set in stone.
“It’s basically in the planning phases,” Price said. “Our goal for the next work group meeting is to bring back a list with a map of where people won’t be hassled if they are camping. And a list of Lincoln County resources that are available. We have also acquired bus tickets. So, we are trying to put a packet together. And then the work group will work on figuring out what the approach will be.”
The main site identified to allow camping is a narrow, hedge-dominated strip between the city’s wastewater treatment plant and Yachats Community Presbyterian Church. The church offers food for people in need and hosts Don’s Place, a cold-weather emergency shelter equipped with five pallet shelters.
The escallonia hedge already had several spots where flattened areas and trash indicated campers have been. The city’s public works crew has since cut out six separate sites in the hedge to allow for semi-private tent areas. A layer of gravel will also be added to those spots to help contend with potential flooding. Finally, a portable toilet with handwashing station and garbage can will also be placed at the site.
The other centrally-located site being floated for people in vehicles is just off La de da Lane next to the open green space across from the new skate park. However, Mayor Craig Berdie has made clear in the past he does not want that location turning into a camping area — so that idea may be dead-on-arrival if it comes to the council.
The other seven sites are far from the city center, surrounded by private homes, and involve strenuous uphill hikes. They include a city water tank located on Horizon Hill Road at the very top of the hill that rises east of downtown Yachats; three small plots along the 500 block of Radar Road; and three plots on upper Crestview Drive in south Yachats.
Price said no steps will be taken to clear or provide amenities at those harder-to-reach areas with the hope being the location in the escallonia hedge will suffice.
“It’s going to be evolving as we figure out how its working and what the needs are,” Price said. “And I think a part of this work group will be hearing, listening, seeing and making suggestions. Hopefully part of the evolution of this is that we will be able to work with Don’s Place and the pallet housing to maybe be more of a temporary housing situation for people who are here year round. And then utilize the Lincoln County warming shelter or emergency shelter the cities are all investing into.”
Work group concerns
Work group member Morgen Brodie expressed concern about the hard-to-reach sites, which would be too difficult for people with physical hardships to access and even the hedge site, which was flooded the last time she checked. Safety and camp management is yet another issue.
“It seems to me we need to be able to network among the various services in our part of the county and provide transportation to appropriate resources, even on a nightly basis,” Brodie said. “We also need trained people to help direct people to what they need/want and to provide potential crisis intervention if the city plans to evict people from camping sites.”
Other options worth exploring, include allowing homeowners with land and/or sheltered spaces to host campers, Brodie said, or having the city purchase available land for tiny house/Tuff Shed shelters — perhaps in exchange for work.
“I think our meetings have gone as well as they can and we have ideas about how to proceed,” Brodie said. “My biggest concern is that they’re not crafted from the perspective of the people most affected, so we may be missing key ideas.”
Yachats is also preparing signs to post where camping will not be allowed.
All of Yachats efforts are a far cry from Waldport’s approach, which is to not post signs saying where camping is not allowed, or telling campers where they are allowed to camp. Those decisions were made based on their attorney’s advice and input from other city managers, said Waldport city manager Dann Cutter.
Price reiterated that figuring out what works and what does not will be a work in progress.
“I know that what we have right now isn’t the perfect answer, but I think we’re going to learn and working with the work group is going to be the ticket,” she said. “It’s a really hard situation and there’s no one answer.”
- Garret Jaros is YachatsNews’ full-time reporter and can be reached at GJaros@YachatsNews.com
If the city wants to house homeless people then they need to do it in the downtown area for all to see. I happen to live in the Crestview area being discussed and nobody has mentioned this to the people in this neighborhood. This idea is totally unacceptable to us as we moved over here from Salem to get away from this very type of thing. If the liberals of Yachats want this then maybe they should offer up their land to house these people and not pawn them off on their neighbors.
Yeah.
I don’t blame you. My question why do we have to allow any camping like this. Was never required before. Please stop trying to ruin this beautiful area
I totally agree with the above article.
I’m a “Liberal”, and you don’t know me, so please stop targeting me with rudeness and hostilities. I don’t blame MAGAs, etc for my problems in life. I don’t like this homeless camp idea any more than you do. It will just bring more. I’m personally terrified of them. Bus them to Newport, or down to the Devereux Center in lovely Coos Bay, where they are actually wanted. Why here in this lovely, tiny town? The Gem of the Coast will turn into a mini-Portland. Except that instead of hanging out all over the city streets, there’ll be even more of them than there already are wandering among taxpaying residents’ homes. I’m scared already.
Right now there is a $10 million grant being given to Oregon nonprofit organizations for the sole purpose being that it used for “making the community more disaster resilient.” However I think if its worded correctly, something like this could qualify … I’ll post the link to apply for it.
If the work group members would like to offer up a room or a backyard for this project, I think it would be a great start. Then, and only then, should they be permitted to offer up my property, (or the property surrounding my home), for something I have no intention of supporting. Don’t volunteer others for something you are not willing to do yourself. Thanks
I agree with Kevin, except that the work group members are not to blame. They are undertaking the nearly impossible task of cleaning up the mess that’s being made. But, forcing individuals that the city displaces into forested residential areas could have grave consequences. One discarded cigarette or errant spark from a campfire could torch the entire hillside, resulting in wide spread property damage and potentially loss of life. Pedestrians trudging up and down narrow, dimly lit streets at all hours would create significant risk for car accidents. Trash, drug paraphernalia, and human waste would surround the tanks that store our drinking water, and there would be significant risk of vandalism to critical infrastructure. The young men who currently loiter near the Little Log Museum have pit bulls that are not trained. Citizens in the targeted neighborhood(s) would need to be extremely cautious when walking – particularly with pets.
If you share these concerns, please contact your neighbors and the city before it’s too late.
Allowing unsupervised camping around the water tanks and emergency caches that are for all residents in the event of an emergency is ridiculous. While I understand the city needs to provide an area for camping, unsupervised camping in a steep and unlit area surrounded by forest is far from the answer. As you mentioned, the risk of fire puts all of Yachats at risk, and the potential vandalism to these vital resources is extremely high. We have no police here, how long would it take the sheriff to respond to a situation near the top of the hill especially in a very dark area. Just because the city owns lots next to the water tower doesn’t make it a good place to camp.
Nice. Right next to the new grant-funded skatepark.
Not next to where children play. We know nothing about most people.
What is wrong with sending these folks up to Newport where the social services that cater to that element are. When you allow and make sites for this, you are going to have problems like what now happens in the valley namely addiction and mental health casualties. I had to leave and sell my property near Fern Ridge Lake because that area got overrun with drug addicts who were breaking into nearby properties. My ranch was on lock down, motion detecting lights on my gates, all my horse tack, and tools had to be in the house, not the barn and I kept a loaded shot gun handy. I moved here to not live like that. There are plenty of legal campgrounds so there is where to camp around here.
I am a homeowner near Yachats Community Presbyterian Church and the Commons where proposed camping sites are under consideration. I oppose these sites. There are several “campers” and homeless folks already in this area, with no accountability. The Yachats City Council and “work group” need to represent all members of the community, especially those of us who own property near these sites. I am not comfortable living near homeless tent cities “in the bushes” by the water treatment plant.
Bad idea. This will just bring them in. These people need to get into a in-house treatment center to get clean, work and become productive taxpaying citizens.
Don’t. Don’t enable. It sounds heartless, but it’s in the best interests of the community and homeless people. Instead, work on lowering the cost of housing in the area so people don’t become homeless in the first place.
My husband and I helped Don Daugherty before most people knew there was a Don in town. Don’t judge people before you meet them.
I volunteered at the food pantry for months and I have met most of the unhoused that call Yachats home. Some have lived here longer than many of the rest of us.
There’s a lot of talk about being compassionate, but how compassionate is it really to tell someone they have to walk up a mountain in order to sleep? Last summer two of the individuals we served were in wheelchairs. There’s a nice level green space right across from the food pantry and cold shelters where people could sleep during limited hours (e.g. 8pm to 8am). It’s in clear view of the city and the church who provide them with services.
While I would not like a homeless camp next door to my home, I am a bit surprised by the lack of empathy displayed in numerous messages here in a community that I thought was filled with progressive well-educated retirees.
Well-educated? Yes Progressive? No.
There is a City Council Regular Meeting at 1PM on Wednesday, April 17.
They are planning to announce the work group’s vision and mission.
441 Hwy 101 N Civic Meeting Room
Hopefully everyone who is able will plan to attend in person.
All others can attend remotely via Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89654498587