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County to Draft 12‑Month Lease for Safe‑Parking Pods at Public Safety Campus; 90‑Day Check‑In Required
Summary
After months of outreach and debate, the Board directed staff to draft a 12‑month lease allowing Mountain View Community Development to place six micro‑shelter pods on a quarter‑acre at the Deschutes County Public Safety Campus, with a 90‑day operational review. The motion passed 2–1.
The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners directed staff on June 11 to prepare a 12‑month lease allowing Mountain View Community Development to place six micro‑shelter “pods” and associated vehicle parking on about 0.25 acres at the county Public Safety Campus, with a built‑in 90‑day review after operations begin.
Mountain View Executive Director Rick Russell told the board the site is tucked behind the campus and would become the organization’s ninth safe‑parking location and its ninth micro‑shelter deployment in the region. He said Mountain View would provide case management, porta‑potties, garbage service, and electrical hookups for heating/cooling in each unit; participants meet weekly with a case manager and sign a “good neighbor” handbook that bans onsite drug/alcohol use and limits onsite belongings.
The board’s decision follows multiple rounds of outreach. Deschutes County Property Manager Christy Bollinger described consultations with departments on the public safety campus, nearby business owners and an adjacent homeowners association; she said business owners had varying views but that an agreement on fencing and other site details had been negotiated. Bend Mayor Pro Tem Megan Perkins, speaking for the city of Bend, said the city has contracted Mountain View to create 20 spaces in Bend and supports Mountain View’s model of weekly case management and on‑site rules.
Boardmembers debated lease duration, community impacts and fire risk. Mountain View said the pods are portable, designed to be inspected and moved if needed, and that Pacific Power had identified a nearby temporary power connection point. Staff noted some grant conditions required a minimum placement period for units; staff recommended a 12‑month lease with a 90‑day operational check‑in so the board could review real‑time experience.
Commissioners Daire and Chang voted in favor of directing staff to draft the lease with the 90‑day check‑in; the chair recorded a no vote, producing a 2–1 outcome. The board asked staff to return the proposed lease within days so site preparation could proceed before funding deadlines on certain grants.
Why it matters: Mountain View’s safe‑parking and micro‑shelter program is part of the county’s short‑term shelter strategy and aims to connect people living in vehicles or temporary shelters to case management and permanent housing. The board’s direction creates a near‑term test site on county property while retaining a check‑in so the policy can be adjusted quickly if community issues arise.
What’s next: Staff will return with a draft lease and site plan; Mountain View indicated units are already in production and could be on site within weeks if power and site prep are completed.
