The city of Roseburg has entered into a purchase agreement for a .91-acre property on the southwest corner of Winchester Avenue and Shambrook Street that may be the site of a future urban campground for homeless people.

After more than a year of searching, Roseburg officials have identified two potential sites for a so-called urban campground for the unhoused, and have entered into an agreement to purchase one of the properties.

That site covers .91 acres and is located at the southwest corner of Winchester Avenue and Shambrook Street. The property is big enough to house 50-60 tents and/or tiny shelters, each on 15-foot-by-15-foot spots, with 20 foot-wide aisles, city officials said.

The sale price for the property is $225,000, and the basic cost to develop the site, including installing fencing, putting in sidewalks and conducting excavation work, is estimated to be about $95,000.

The city has entered into a purchase agreement for the property and opened an escrow account. The sale is contingent upon final approval by the city council in a public meeting. The reason for entering into the purchase agreement is to lock in the price and establish a timeline for making a final decision without the pressure of potentially losing the site to another buyer, city officials said.

The city’s offer was officially accepted Oct. 27 and $5,000 in earnest money was deposited Nov. 7. The city has 90 days to complete due diligence and an additional 30 days to close the transaction.

The city’s Homeless Commission was scheduled to discuss the potential purchase at a public meeting Monday in city hall. The purchase must ultimately come before the city council for final approval.

“It’s exciting that we got this far,” said Mayor Larry Rich, who has been spearheading the search for a site. “The next step is getting public input and then having the city council make a decision.”

The city has also identified a second property to place the urban campground in case the Winchester property does not work out. That site is located at 222 and 232 NE Ivan St., and covers .49 acres. The site contains a 1,480 square-foot heated metal building with finished office space, a bathroom and a storage area.

The purchase price for that property is also $225,000. Basic development costs for this site are estimated to be about $49,500.

The site could accommodate an estimated 30-40 tents, each on a 15-foot-by-15-foot site, depending on layout.

The Ivan Street property was not officially for sale, but the owner offered it as a possibility, city officials said. The city negotiated the purchase price with the owner, and if the city council decides to move forward with this site, a sales agreement would be completed.

Rich said there is also a third site the city is looking at if needed.

“It’s one of those challenges that we knew we were going to face, and that’s finding a location,” Rich said. “Next we will have to find an operator.”

City officials said they had some basic criteria they were looking for in the property search. They wanted a property that is not close to a school, daycare or park and with limited exposure to residences. They also wanted the property to be safely accessible by pedestrians, close to public transportation and have utilities available.

The search was primarily conducted by a committee consisting of Rich, Homeless Commission member and City Councilor Shelley Briggs Loosely, City Manager Nikki Messenger, former City Recorder Amy Sowa and current City Recorder Patty Hitt.

Rich said the search took about a year and a half and in that time the group looked at about 20 properties. Of those, about a half-dozen were sites that weren’t listed for sale, but the owners came forward and let the city know they might consider selling, Rich said.

“That was nice, we sure appreciated it,” he said. “They let us know what else might be available.”

In announcing the potential purchase, city officials listed several positive and possible negative aspects of each site.

Positives associated with the Winchester Avenue property include its large size, low purchase and startup costs, existing water and sewer connections, easy accessibility by pedestrians due to sidewalks and streetlights, location on a bus route and proximity to services for the unhoused.

Possible drawbacks include high visibility, traffic, its location in a mixed residential and commercial area and the fact it isn’t large enough to house the entire unhoused population.

Positives of the Ivan Street site include the existing building, low purchase and startup costs, existing utilities, location on a bus route, lower visibility and less traffic noise.

Possible drawbacks include its location in a mixed residential and commercial area, it’s smaller size, limited parking and lack of sidewalks from Diamond Lake Boulevard.

Identifying the site is just the first step in the process, city officials said. Before the purchase can be finalized, public input must be taken and considered, they said.

To mitigate potential issues with neighbors, a privacy fence will be installed around the perimeter of the property.

Additionally, there will need to be an operator chosen to manage the campground. That manager will need to establish rules to ensure the campground does not become a nuisance based on noise, trash and other potential concerns, city officials said.

There also may be other costs associated with the campground that are not yet known. Initially, porta-potties would be installed at the site and a shower trailer would be brought in at least once a week. A shower/bathroom/laundry trailer or other facility may be purchased in the future, city officials said.

Rich cautioned that there is much work to be done before an urban campground can be opened. And even then, it won’t provide housing for all the unhoused in the city.

“A lot of people think this is a cure-all but it’s not, it’s just one tool that helps,” he said. “Not everyone fits into one category of housing.”