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Mayor Charlie Hales is looking to use some of Portland's downtown parking garages as campsites for the homeless at night.
Hales announced earlier this month that the city would allow overnight tent camping on some city property from 9 pm to 7 am, reversing a decades-old policy that forbade tents on city streets.
The city owns six SmartPark Garages, according to the city's website. KXL radio first reported Wednesday that Hales is looking at those garages as possible campsites.
But Hales' office is still working to identify which ones to use, said Josh Alpert, the mayor's chief of staff. The garages may also serve as daytime storage for homeless campers who need a place to store their tents.
Currently, the city hopes to use garages that are closed at night, said Alpert, though only the O'Bryant Square location meets that criteria, according to the city website.
Another leading contender is the SmartPark at Southwest First Avenue and Jefferson Street, because it is laid out in a way that a single floor could be closed for use as a night-time campsite, said Alpert.
The garage in Old Town will likely not be used, in part because it gets business at night, said Alpert.
The garage campsites would not be limited to six people, unlike at more informal spots, and a nonprofit would help provide services, Alpert said.
"I think it is fair as we are asking the community to step up that we are looking at every city-owned asset," said Alpert.
Willamette Week