Mayor Charlie Hales has sent a letter to the The Old Town Chinatown Community Association outlining his intentions with the future of Right 2 Dream Too, after proposing in a media blitz a 15-month deal for a warehouse in the Old Town neighborhood. In the letter, addressed to OTCTCA chairman Howard Weiner, Hales says he doesn not support the permanent location of Right to Dream within Old
Town. That conclusion is virtually built into the 15-month-and-out lease proposal for the warehouse at 320 Hoyt St. The property R2DToo currently occupies is up for sale, as is the only other semi-acceptable lot under consideration.
Here is the complete content of the letter:
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Dear Howard,
Right to Dream Too has camped outside at a site on NW 4th
and Burnside for several years. Over the
summer, and for a variety of reasons, I worked with Commissioner Fritz to find
a solution to move them from that site; as those discussions continued,
culminating in the City Council hearing in August, it became clear that an
indoor site would be a much better option than an outdoor site. I asked the community to provide ideas for a
better solution than an outdoor parking lot within 60 days. Those 60 days have now passed and the
solution on the table is to have Right to Dream Too move into the 320 NW Hoyt
building.
This location is not a long-term solution- it would be for no
more than15 months (an additional 3 months was offered by the property owner so
that Right to Dream would not have to move out in the dead of winter), starting
on January 1, 2014. There would be NO
extension or renewal allowed. I like
this plan because it allows up to 15 months for the focused discussion of what
the long term solution for Right to Dream Too (and houseless camps in general)
will be, and allows that conversation to occur while Right to Dream is safely
inside a heated building.
I know that promises have been made to the Old
Town/Chinatown Neighborhood Association that there would not be further
location of service providers or concentrated houseless populations within your
boundaries. This short-term location
simply moves Right to Dream from an outdoor spot within Old Town to an indoor
spot, giving the City and the community time to evaluate and strategize on the
long term solution; additionally, it allows negotiations to continue on the
potential sale of the existing 4th and Burnside location.
I am bullish on the future of Old Town and Chinatown, and
helping to create new prosperity and vibrancy is one of the cornerstones of my
administration. That work continues; a
potential short-term relocation of Right to Dream to an inside location within
Old Town should not be misconstrued as turning our back to the promises made or
a lack of interest in the future development we are all working together
on.
Old Town and Chinatown residents and businesses have long
been pillars of our community in your willingness to provide community
solutions to community problems, and as Mayor, I am grateful to you for
it. This is a time, as the temperatures
are plummeting and snow is falling, when we can be humane while we seek
permanent solutions. I will not support
a solution that includes the permanent location of Right to Dream within Old
Town.
I look forward to continuing all the work we’ve begun on the
future of Old Town and Chinatown, and value our partnership.
Thank you,
Charlie Hales
Mayor,
City of Portland
This article appears in 2013-11-22.