PORTLAND — The Oregon city at the heart of a major U.S. Supreme Court ruling on homelessness has agreed to ensure camping spaces for at least 150 people as part of a settlement reached with a disability rights group that sued the city over its camping rules.

Disability Rights Oregon, which sued Grants Pass in January, indicated on Aug. 15 that it had reached a settlement agreement. The advocacy group accused the city of discriminating against people with disabilities and violating a state law requiring cities’ camping regulations to be “objectively reasonable.”

“This settlement represents a significant step forward in ensuring people with disabilities experiencing homelessness have places to rest, basic necessities like drinking water, and real opportunity to stabilize their lives,” stated Jake Cornett, executive director and CEO of Disability Rights Oregon.

Grants Pass Mayor Clint Scherf stated in an email Tuesday that the city appreciates having reached an agreement and will “continue to work toward effective measures to benefit all members of our community.”

A copy of the settlement agreement showed the city signed off on it earlier this month.

Josephine County Circuit Court Judge Sarah McGlaughlin in March issued a preliminary injunction blocking the city from enforcing its camping rules unless it increased capacity at city-approved sites for camping and ensured they are physically accessible to people with disabilities.

City ordinances prohibit sleeping or leaving personal property in a park overnight in most cases. Those found in violation can be fined up to $50.

The city posted on Facebook that law enforcement “will begin noticing the parks, and occupants will have 72 hours to remove their belongings.”

The city’s website shows three “designated resting locations” in the downtown area, near City Hall and the police station, where people can stay for four days before having to relocate. The time limit can be enforced unless disability accommodations are necessary, the city said on Facebook.

At resting sites, individuals are limited to spaces that are 8 feet by 8 feet, with buffers of 3 feet between spaces, as outlined in city code.

Under the settlement, Grants Pass must ensure that at least 150 camping spaces are available in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act for the next 12 months. Drinking water and hand washing stations must be available on-site.

The city must also provide $60,000 in grant funding to a nonprofit for homeless services.

Grants Pass, a small city of about 40,000 along the Rogue River in the mountains of southern Oregon, has struggled for years to address the homelessness crisis. The city became emblematic of the national debate over how to deal with the crisis. Its parks in particular became a flashpoint, with many of them gaining encampments blighted by drug use and litter.

Last June, in a case brought by the city, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that communities can ban sleeping outside and fine people for doing so, even when there are not enough shelter beds.

After the high court ruling, Grants Pass banned camping on all city property except locations designated by the City Council, which established sites for the town’s hundreds of homeless people in a bid to move them from the parks.

Upon taking office in January, the new mayor and new council members moved to close the larger of the two sites, which housed roughly 120 tents, according to Disability Rights Oregon’s complaint, which said the sites were frequently crowded, in poor conditions, and inaccessible to people with disabilities because of loose gravel. After the lawsuit was filed, the city reopened a second, smaller site.

McGlaughlin’s order in March said the city had to increase capacity to what it had been before the larger site was closed.

Last year, homelessness increased 18 percent nationwide, driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and an increase in migrants in some areas.

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Project name: Columbia County – John Gumm Building Adaptive Reuse

Location: St. Helens

Completion: September 2024

Size: 28,400 square feet

Cost: $10,589,883

Owner/Developer: Columbia County

Architect: Emerick Architects

Engineers: Shutte Consulting Engineers, Lower Columbia Engineering, System Design Consultants

General Contractor: Bremik Construction

Submitting Company: Bremik Construction

Other Associates/Key Consultants: Ameresco, Mike DeRoia (building inspector), Meritus Consulting, Columbia Economic Team, Columbia-Pacific Economic Development District, Columbia County Small Business Development Center, Columbia County Historical Society and Museum

Subcontractors: A-Line Concrete Cutting, All In One Mobility, Authority Dock & Door, B & B Tile Masonry, Brandsen Hardwood Floors, Brightservice Cleaning, Building Material Specialties, Cedar Landscape, Chosen Wood Window Maintenance, COSCO Fire Protection, Culver Glass, Custom Source Woodworking, District Painting, Duke Construction and Excavation, Eagle Striping Services, Elite Steel Products, Floor Factors, Huntco Supply, Interior Technology, IRS Environmental of Portland, MB Structures, McDonald & Wetle, Northwest Masonry Restoration, OEG, Pioneer Sheetmetal, Portland Millwork, RC Building Specialties, Scaffold Erectors, Sign Wizards, Stewart Mechanical, T.F.T. Construction, Western Partitions, Zavala

After sitting vacant for more than two decades, the historic John Gumm Building has been transformed into a vibrant community hub through an ambitious 16-month restoration project.

Originally built in 1919 as St. Helens Elementary School, the nearly century-old structure required extensive work to address unique structural challenges. The building was discovered to be sitting directly on a bedrock shelf with no footing, a common condition for buildings of that era. However, it was constructed on two different shelf levels, creating a 2-foot elevation difference in the basement floor. One of the most unusual conditions was the retaining wall footing at the back of the building. When excavation hit a bedrock shelf, preventing the footing from reaching correct elevation, contractors had to epoxy 204 dowels into the bedrock to anchor the new footing – a rare and complex engineering solution that required significant planning and collaboration.

Fitting a new elevator into the existing structure also posed a major challenge. The historical layout did not accommodate ADA and headroom clearance requirements, necessitating precise adjustments while preserving structural stability.

The renovation team, led by Bremik Construction, focused on preserving key historical elements while implementing modern upgrades. Original wood casement windows were repaired, the front entry door and relights were reused, and the auditorium was restored to its original state by removing an added balcony and repositioning the stage.

Seismic retrofitting was a critical component, incorporating steel braces, shear walls and reinforced concrete foundations to ensure the building could withstand seismic activity without compromising its architectural character.

The project also faced challenges integrating modern systems into the historic framework. In one instance, the project team had to install a large HVAC unit in the basement through a concrete wall with only half-inch clearance on each side, then maneuver it over a 4-foot-deep pit and lower it into place using approved shoring and support systems.

The newly revitalized building now serves multiple community functions. The first floor features a 1,700-square-foot auditorium for public meetings, a catering kitchen, office space for economic organizations and a new 1,400-square-foot museum. The basement and upper floors house Columbia County departments.

By balancing preservation with modernization, the John Gumm Building has been successfully transformed into a functional, accessible space while preserving its historical essence for future generations, once again standing as a cornerstone of the St. Helens community.

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Portland City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to authorize issuance of revenue bonds totaling up to $80 million (plus associated costs) to finance curb, ramp and street improvement projects in the city.

The ordinance provides funding for Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades through fiscal year 2026–2027 in compliance with a federal settlement agreement. The bonds will be repaid over 15 years, with annual debt service estimated at $7.68 million to be split evenly between the city’s general fund and transportation operating fund.

As part of the settlement agreement, the city of Portland is required to provide at least 1,500 new or remediated, ADA-compliant curb ramps per year through 2030.

The bonds will finance a portion of projected curb, ramp and street improvements required by the settlement agreement through fiscal year 2026-2027. During that time frame, the balance of annual projected settlement agreement costs is expected to be funded within related Portland Bureau of Transportation capital improvement budgets and/or other transportation revenues.

The funding will be used to complete a minimum of 1,500 new or remediated, ADA-compliant curb ramps in the next two fiscal years, plus reimbursement for certain related project expenditures that occurred in fiscal year 2024-2025 in compliance with the settlement agreement.

During a City Council meeting on April 23, PBOT Director Millicent Williams said that the project is on pace, but delivery of ramps is an expensive venture. The bond funding will allow the project team to continue its work at its current pace. PBOT designed the ADA ramps in-house, Williams said.

PBOT’s intent is to return before the council in two years to seek additional funding.

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