Portland City Council Votes to Reduce Required Distance Between Safe Rest Villages & Residential, Industrial Areas

Last week, city commissioners voted for zoning changes in an effort to increase the efficacy of the Safe Rest Village program. While the shelters previously had to be located at least 25 feet from industrial or residential land, making it challenging to find appropriate locations, the council vote changes the required distance to five feet. 

“These changes we are making are really a big deal, especially the 25 to five feet. I can’t tell you how many times that made making the design nearly impossible,” Commissioner Dan Ryan told KOIN 6 News.

KOIN reports that last Wednesday’s changes also include the creation of standards for how outdoor shelters can operate now, like how tall structures can be in a shelter, where they are located, and how RVs and group living situations are handled at the sites.

Read more at Portland’s city council votes to change zoning rules for Safe Rest Villages (koin.com).