Still struggling with how to address issues tied to homelessness in downtown Astoria, city leaders say they plan to take another look at Astoria’s camping ordinances.
This comes on the heels of the failure of another ordinance that would have temporarily banned people from downtown Astoria for up to 90 days if they committed certain crimes in that area.
The ordinance failed in a 3-2 vote at the end of June. Proponents, including Mayor Sean Fitzpatrick, City Councilor Elisabeth Adams and Astoria Police Chief Stacy Kelly, argued exclusion zones would have provided police with a useful tool to address bad behaviors downtown. People opposed to the ordinance — including City Councilors Andy Davis, Andrea Mazzarella and Vance Lump — worried it would unfairly target homeless people.
At the time, the focus was on a group of homeless campers who routinely moved between two blocks on Exchange Street near the Astoria Senior Center.
Now there is a new and growing encampment near county offices on Duane Street. Many of the Exchange Street campers moved there in recent weeks.
City Manager Scott Spence told councilors on Monday that city staff field complaints about the Duane Street encampment daily. The city’s primary recourse is to issue fines for camping violations and these do not seem to deter people, he said.
Davis said he is interested in revising the penalties associated with Astoria’s camping ordinance as well as parts of the ordinance that deal with where people can camp. Regarding the penalties, he said: “If they’re not working, what is the point of them?”
During the City Council’s meetings about the proposed exclusion zone ordinance, Davis had looked back at past discussions around the camping ordinance.
“I got a clear feeling from the City Council at that time that they thought of this ordinance as a first step,” he said, “and something that would need to be modified.”
Davis said the Duane Street encampment is in disarray and has the potential to impact other aspects of the community based on its location. The camp is near county buildings where people attend meetings or access important services and across the street from Clatsop Community Action, another social service provider.
“I think we have some obligation to try and remedy that situation,” Davis said.
But he and Mazzarella also asked about the possibility of creating positive incentives in addition to harsher consequences.
“I agree there needs to be a way to create a reasonable consequence for the behavior,” Mazzarella said, “but also there has to be a path to compliance.”
For her, one way to do this is by establishing or supporting a daytime drop-in center, a place where people could go during the day after they are required to pack up their camps.
Under the city’s current camping ordinance, people can camp in parts of downtown Astoria and along the Riverwalk after 9 p.m. They are required to pack up their tents and move their belongings before 7 a.m.
Davis has also suggested handling some charges through the Astoria Municipal Court instead of trying to get charges through the Clatsop County Circuit Court.
As part of the Monday work session, city councilors met with Judge Beau Peterson, presiding judge for Clatsop County Circuit Court, and Clatsop County Sheriff Matt Phillips to discuss the challenges of arresting, holding and prosecuting people for the types of lower level crimes that were generally outlined under the proposed exclusion zone ordinance.
In the past, a lack of space at the Clatsop County Jail meant people booked on less severe charges might walk back out the door soon after they arrived. Now, with a new, larger jail, that is not a problem, Phillips said.
Instead, he and Peterson noted that Senate Bill 48, which went into effect in 2022 and impacts the state’s pretrial detention system, has significantly changed when people are held, or not held, and for how long.
The City Council plans to hold another meeting to discuss possible changes to Astoria’s camping ordinance and to talk with partner organizations that work with the unhoused community.
Spence emphasized that there is a need to address the issue, especially the Duane Street encampment, before it gets worse.
“This is a complicated problem,” Spence said. “I think there’s frustration at all levels of the community — from staff included — on not meeting community expectations and following through. I think we all want to be part of the solution and make sure people that need the help are getting help.”
Homeless campers KMUN spoke with outside following the work session suggested the city establish an official site where people could camp.