March 24, 2009
Dear Mr.Wostmann,
Upon contacting you recently to make you aware that an area land owner intended to have sponsored campers on their 21-acre vacant lot you had asked several questions you wanted answered via e-mail. I'll include some information on the program itself - and also include facts about the specific site.
The City of Eugene (COE) enacted the Permitted Overnight Sleeping ordinance (EC 4.816) several years ago. It is applicable to private property and off-street right-of-way (R/W) property. There are codified requirements and restrictions included in this ordinance, a copy of which I'm including at the end of this e-mail. The goal of this ordinance is to reduce perceived impacts from the sponsored campers.
The City has a contract with St.Vincent de Paul to administer the off-street overnight parking program, which is managed by Keith Heath. Keith helps find new locations for sponsored campers, helps site the actual spaces, and monitors campers in the program. Private property sponsored camping is regulated by the City's Land Use department who respond to citizen complaints if there are problems.
The 21-acre vacant lot west of the intersection of Moon Mountain and Laurel Hill Dr. is privately owned and has had a large number of illegal campers on it and accumulations of garbage and debris. On December 18, 2008, City Land Use staff received a written complaint from an area resident alleging multiple illegal campers on the site and associated negative impacts such as illegal drug use, disorderly conduct, increased neighborhood crime and accumulations of garbage. City staff verified the complaint and worked with the property owner to have the illegal campers/trespassers and garbage removed. The challenge the property owner faced after the initial clean-up was keeping unwanted people off the property and associated negative impacts. Fencing the property was both expensive and problematic, there are large overhead powerlines that EWEB must have access to at all times. Utilization of a private security firm to monitor/patrol the site would also be quite expensive due to the size and topography of the property. The most viable solution to keeping unwanted trespassers and illegal campers off of the property was to have an on-site presence on the property. The existence of the City's Permitted Overnight Sleeping ordinance provided an opportunity to provide that presence, with the understanding that the sponsored campers would walk the property on a daily basis and report trespassers and/or illegal campers to Eugene Police. The existence of a Trespass Letter of Consent (TLC) signed by the property owner gives Eugene police officers permission to act on the property owner's behalf in trespass situations. Officers who observe trespassers on private property can then immediately address the problem rather than be delayed in acting or be unable to take action at all if they're unable to contact the property owner.
The property owner has worked with St.Vincent de Paul overnight parking program staff to site two spaces on the lot for sponsored campers; one at the north end along Laurel Hill Dr., and a second site adjacent to Moon Mountain. The northern site is as far away from stick-built residences as possible and is near the entry of where the EWEB overhead power lines are located. The southern site will be on the west (north) side of Moon Mountain Dr. and will be at least 365 feet from the nearest residence. Both sites will be on graded and graveled pads to reduce mud and erosion. There will be a porta potty associated with each site, and the plan for the porta potty for the southern site is to locate it behind the travel trailer so as to be less visible from the street. Each camping unit will have a placard in the window from St.Vincent de Paul indicating they are in a sponsored program. The sponsored campers are exempted from the Trespass Letter of Consent that the property owner has on file with local police. There will also be regular garbage service pickup for each sponsored camper.
You also asked if area residents have any say so in where the sponsored camp sites are to be placed on the property. This decision is up to the property owner - there is no provision in the Permitted Overnight Sleeping ordinance to allow for the public's input. I must say that there were several variables that had to be considered before the placement of the gravel pads was decided upon. The property owner is incurring the cost for the grading and gravel and the further away from the street the pads are located the more expensive it becomes. Secondly, the sponsored campers are to act as a visual deterrant to trespassers and illegal campers. The more visible the sponsored campers are - the less likely trespassers, unauthorized 4-wheel enthusiasts, and illegal dumpers are to enter the lot. Additionally, there have been illegal campsites in the past located very near to the southern property lines, so a presence at both ends of the lot seems to be warranted. This lot is very large and to expect one person to walk the whole lot once or twice a day is a lot to ask. Having two sponsored camp sites will not only divide up the responsibility to report the trespassers, but will provide a set of eyes at both ends of the lot to monitor unauthorized activities.
You may also be curious as to who/how the sponsored campers are selected. It's really up to the property owner as to who they want to have on the property. In this particular instance the owner has elected to have St.Vincent de Paul staff select the campers. Keith Heath, the overnight parking program manager, is the person selecting the campers. He's only placing people who have been in the program previously and demonstrated themselves to be responsible and dependable campers. Keith has been working with some of these people for years and I trust his judgment in whomever he places on the site.
You asked for contacts regarding the permitted overnight parking program and they are as follows:
I hope this information provides the information you asked for. Should you have additional questions or concerns please contact me at your covenience. I generally work weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. My direct telephone number is (541) 682-6031. A copy of the Permitted Overnight Sleeping ordinance will end this correspondence.
Sincerely,
Doñna Nowakowski
Code Enforcement Officer - Land Use Management
City of Eugene
(541) 682-6031