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The Portland City Council has given the go ahead for the city to spend $254,044 to buy a 9,000-square-foot plot of land on the city鈥檚 southeast side that could become a new home for the Right 2 Dream Too homeless camp.

The city has been trying for years to find an alternate location for the camp, currently located at the corner of Northwest Burnside Street and Fourth Avenue.

During the council meeting, both Mayor Charlie Hales and Commissioner Amanda Fritz cautioned people testifying to keep comments on the sale, not on relocating the homeless camp, advice which most people ignored.

Hales said the Oregon Department of Transportation has five pieces of property for sale in Southeast Portland and he intends for the city to buy them all, starting with the 9,000-square-foot parcel.

鈥淭he city will continue to discuss whether to grant a lease to Right 2 Dream Too into this site,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut that is a separate decision from the decision to buy the land.鈥�

Fritz also pointed out that the sale of the land is contingent upon a satisfactory environmental inspection.

Robert Kieta, the city鈥檚 facilities services division manager, said the inspection will be complete in about two weeks.

鈥淧reliminary findings do not indicate any significant environmental issues with developing the site based on industrial zoning requirements,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are multiple uses we could look at being used for, including R2DToo, parking and other site developments.鈥�

But several people objected to the city buying the 9,000-square-foot parcel of land without deciding first what it will be used for.

Debbie Kitchin, president of the Central East Side Industrial Council, said her group is opposed to the purchase.

鈥淲e think it is premature and not responsible when you haven鈥檛 determined a use for it,鈥� she said, addressing commissioners. 鈥淭his is an industrial sanctuary, a vital employment district, and we feel you haven鈥檛 been very open about your decision-making.鈥�

Nancy Stueber, president of Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, also expressed reservations and asked to council to have discussions about the use prior to a purchase.

Trillium Shannon, a co-founder and board member of Right 2 Dream Too, said she supports the city鈥檚 purchase of the land, but added that her board will have to decide if moving there is the right thing for the camp.

Shannon said the camp can remain where it is if it needs to and that it鈥檚 been successfully run for almost four years. She said the group has been meeting with the city and other stakeholders and would like to meet with the industrial council as well.

鈥淚t鈥檚 difficult to come to a hearing and hear people who do support R2DToo but don鈥檛 ask our input, and people who don鈥檛 support it because of homeless phobia,鈥� she said.

One of those opposed to the purchase of the land was Don Gardner, vice president of Southeast Uplift, a neighborhood coalition group, but he didn鈥檛 mention the homeless camp.

鈥淲e are concerned that if the city buys up all these state properties, we would like to see a plan for what to do with them,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 worked for the city for a number of years and this is the first time I鈥檝e heard of it going to buy a piece of property without having a plan for its use.鈥�

The resolution to allow purchase of the 9,000-square-foot parcel passed unanimously without Hales, who left the meeting early.

As she made her closing remarks before her vote, Fritz again stressed that a satisfactory environmental assessment of the land must come first.

鈥淚f that happens, once the site is purchased I would work with the mayor and Right 2 Dream Too and the community on a good neighbor agreement,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd if Right 2 Dream Too decides that is a viable site for them to move on, then later in the summer I would probably come to the council with a proposed use and have a public hearing on that.鈥�