Phoenix planning campground for homeless people living in 'The Zone.' Where it may go

Phoenix plans to build a structured campground for people living in "The Zone," the city's largest homeless encampment, according to city officials and city records.

The city intends to build the campground on four acres of state-owned property at 1537 W. Jackson Street, two blocks from the Human Services Campus, where over a dozen homeless services nonprofits are located.

The land was previously used for the state’s surplus property but is now vacant, according to Megan Rose, spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Administration. The city approached the state about the site more than a month ago, Rose said.

The city will enter into a licensing agreement for the land with the state beginning August 1, pending City Council approval, and plans to purchase the land by October 1.

The state land will cost the city $5.4 million, and the campground will cost an additional $3 to $4 million per year to operate.

The campground will accommodate up to 400 people and will have security, showers and on-site services, according to city records. The city plans to open the campground in stages, with between 100 and 200 beds becoming available in August or September and another 100 to 200 beds becoming available in September or October, the records show. The city estimates the campground will operate for two to three years.

If approved, the land purchase for the campground will be covered by grant funds from the Arizona Department of Housing. The department awarded Phoenix $13.3 million in grant funds in June. The grant money is also covering the cost of temporarily leasing two hotels for shelter space.

Rachel Milne, director of the city's Office of Homeless Solutions, said the city's priority is still to be able to offer everyone in The Zone indoor shelter.

"But until we have the availability for everyone to have an indoor place, and until everyone is ready for an indoor place, this is an excellent alternative," Milne said.

Clearing: Third block of 'The Zone' is cleared without incident; hundreds remain in homeless camp

Plan takes some Phoenix councilmembers, nonprofit leaders by surprise

While some Phoenix councilmembers said they had been briefed on the plan for the structured campground, others said they were unaware of the plan or its details — even though they will likely have to vote on the land agreement during the City Council meeting on Wednesday, June 28.

The council meeting agenda includes the land purchase but does not include any details about what the city intends to use the land for other than stating it is "to assist the unsheltered population."

Councilmember Debra Stark said Deputy City Manager Gina Montes briefed her on the campground plans last week after it was discovered that a site at 22nd Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road, where the city planned to build a shelter , was found to have multiple safety hazards, including issues with methane gas.

"We’ve got to do something. It’s hot, it's dangerous, and we’ve just got to do something as a stopgap," Stark said of the campground plans.

Councilmember Jim Waring also said Montes briefed him on the Lower Buckeye Road shelter site issues. He's skeptical of the campground plan and called for more "punitive" measures to address the homeless crisis, such as enforcing laws against drug use and violence.

Milne, the Office of Homeless Solutions director, said Phoenix has intended to create a structured campground for months and that the campground plan is not in response to issues with the Lower Buckeye Road site. However, she confirmed that the city is looking for a new location for the indoor shelter planned for 22nd Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road because of the hazards discovered there.

Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari, whose district includes the proposed campground site, said downtown Phoenix has "done its part" to address the city's homelessness crisis.

"It’s time for solutions to be equally distributed throughout our city," Ansari said in an email statement.

Brenda Muñoz Murguia, a spokesperson for Councilmember Laura Pastor, said Pastor knew a campground was being built but wasn't aware of the location.

Derrik Rochwalik, Councilmember Ann O'Brien's chief of staff, said O'Brien had not been briefed on the plan.

The news came as a surprise to leaders of some of the city's largest homelessness nonprofits.

Both Lisa Glow, CEO of Central Arizona Shelter Services, and Amy Schwabenlender, CEO of the Human Services Campus, said they were unaware of the plan until contacted by The Arizona Republic. The two nonprofits sit at the center of The Zone, just a few blocks from where the campground is planned.

Service providers previously told The Arizona Republic that a structured campground would be an improvement over the status quo in The Zone, though they worried the temporary fix could detract time and resources from pursuing more permanent solutions, such as indoor shelter space or permanent supportive housing.

During the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Maricopa County operated a structured campground in a parking lot near The Zone. It housed more than 200 people and had security, restrooms and staff providing services.

The Zone, which is near 12th Avenue and Madison Street, is home to between 600 and 1,000 people each night. It is at the center of a lawsuit, Brown v. City of Phoenix, in which nearby residents and business owners sued the city, claiming the encampment is a public nuisance, and the city hasn’t done enough to fix it.

As part of that lawsuit, a judge in March ordered the city to shut down the encampment . The city has been clearing the area block by block since May.

The next cleanup is scheduled for Wednesday, July 12, on 9th Avenue between Madison and Jefferson streets.

Phoenix City Hall reporter Taylor Seely contributed to this article.

Juliette Rihl covers housing insecurity and homelessness for The Arizona Republic. She can be reached at jrihl@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @julietterihl .

Coverage of housing insecurity on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Arizona Community Foundation.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix planning campground for homeless people living in 'The Zone.' Where it may go