REDMOND, OR -- Deschutes County Commissioners are still navigating a land swap with the state, more than 20 years after the initial deal was made. A 137-acre county-owned parcel east of Redmond is supposed to transfer to the state, in exchange for 140 acres of state-owned land near the fairgrounds. "In order for this land exchange to move forward, the county-owned land would need to be free of people living there, and also free of debris," Deputy County Administrator Erik Kropp told Commissioners Wednesday. He says campers must first be relocated. "There’s still a lot that needs to be done before the county is ready to move forward with a specific date for relocation." Moving campers was put on hold last year, while the county works to develop a sanctioned camp. 

The city of Redmond and County Commissioners have discussed using 45 acres near Oasis Village and the airport. But Kropp says a lot still needs to happen before development can begin, "A big piece of that solution is the Coordinated Houseless Response Office RFP effort, and working through that process to see if there are service providers that will provide services at that 45 acres. It could look like what we currently do at Juniper Ridge, with just the basic hygiene supports, all the way up through a full-fledged managed camp."

Commissioner Tony DeBone asked about potential issues with the 45-acre site, "And it’s kind of up and down, rocky land, with junipers." Kropp responded, "Yes, that will be one of the challenges, is the terrain." Debone also noted, "And people are on that property already."

Commissioner Phil Chang worries about the lack of firm plans for that site, "We have so little idea what’s going to happen on the 45 acres that it’s premature to talk about to say that we’re ready to go on the 137 acres. Because we are so not ready to go."

County Property Manager Kristie Bollinger says there’s a $400,000 budget to get the 137 acres ready to transfer to the state, "Mark property lines, give notice to the individuals, do the clean-up of abandoned and burned out encampments once people relocate to either the 45 acres or a place that they choose to go to, then going in and cleaning up those encampments." She says some of that money would also help provide hygiene services, similar to what's already provided to the houseless community living on the north end of Juniper Ridge. 

All three Commissioners support using the 45-acre parcel as a managed site for people moving off the 137 acres involved in the land swap. But the exact timeline and what’s involved in the sanctioned camp remain unclear.