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The city backtracked on one of its first three “safe rest village” sites just five days after announcing it, saying officials didn’t realize the site at Southeast 45th Avenue and Harney Street was in a flood zone.
KOIN News first reported the reversal Tuesday.
The concern had been raised by several Portlanders—perhaps most notably Bob Sallinger of the Audubon Society of Portland, who in in a Friday email to city officials raised a number of questions about the site, including its flood zone status.
Commissioner Dan Ryan, who is overseeing the site selection, sent WW a statement: “Now is the time to continue our careful review of safe rest village sites before we finalize agreements, and I’m pleased we identified this problem before spending additional time and resources. We will pick ourselves up, learn from this setback, and move on as we continue to work hard for housed and unhoused Portlanders.”
Bureau of Development Services spokesman Ken Ray said the site had not undergone a floodplain review but “should have.”
The site is adjacent to the Errol Heights Park, which is set to undergo a $12 million restoration in coming years.
The reversal is perhaps emblematic of more challenges to come for Ryan and his safe rest villages team. Many of the parcels of land on the original list of 70 potential sites were not ruled suitable for human habitation due to a number of factors, leaving Ryan’s office to look for other pieces of land not on the list.
In last week’s press conference announcing the sites, Ryan offered a comment that hinted at the imminent need for suitable locations: “Our office is open to any jurisdiction that can provide us some land for at least three years.”