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Council makes micro‑shelter pilot permanent, agrees to allow up to six units at powered host sites
Summary
Council adopted Ordinance 2026-03 updating Redmond’s safe parking program to make the micro‑shelter pilot permanent and allow up to six units at locations with power; staff cited a roughly 50% exit rate to permanent housing and asked for flexibility to site additional units where electricity is available.
The Redmond City Council on April 28 approved Ordinance 2026-03, updating the city’s safe‑parking program to make a pilot micro‑shelter provision permanent and to allow up to six micro‑shelters at host sites that have electrical service.
Housing program analyst Linda Klein told the council the temporary allowance for micro‑shelters was set to expire May 31; acting to adopt the ordinance now would prevent a lapse. Rick Russell of Mountain View Community Development, a program partner, said the city has used one‑time state funding to purchase 12 micro‑shelters for Redmond (the program also purchased units for Bend) and noted the program recently rehoused its 100th person. Russell said program tracking shows an approximate 50% exit rate to permanent housing, a markedly higher exit rate than many traditional shelters, though he cautioned the figure is an observational result rather than a long-term controlled statistic.
Connie Stokes, chair of the mission committee at Community Presbyterian Church, which hosts a site, described three occupied micro‑shelters behind the church and said the experience has been positive: "It is those experiences as well as the many services that the safe parking program provides that will lead our safe parking residents to be able to meet their case management goals," she said.
Staff asked council to permit up to six micro‑shelters where sites have power; Russell said site setup costs range substantially and electricity availability drives cost‑effectiveness. Councilors discussed whether to add an emergency clause to prevent the pilot from lapsing; council approved the ordinance and signaled support for allowing expansion to six units at powered host sites, with staff to return with any necessary ordinance language or a follow‑up item if needed.
Why it matters: Council action preserves and expands a community program that city staff and host congregations say is helping people move from vehicles or encampments into stable housing, and it retains the city’s option to site more units quickly if funding and hosts are available.
What’s next: Ordinance 2026-03 is adopted; staff will proceed with implementation on existing host sites and follow up with council on any further code amendments to permit six units where utilities are present.
