The City of Portland has proposed a new Temporary Alternative Shelter Site, or TASS, on property it owns at 10505 N. Portland Road. The property is owned by the City of Portland and is located in the St. Johns neighborhood adjacent to the Columbia Slough.
According to the city, the proposed TASS is planned to accommodate up to 200 people in tiny home pods and parking spaces for people living in their RV or camper.
Public involvement
DEQ will host a virtual public information meeting on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 at 6 p.m. to share information about the City of Portland's draft Contaminated Media Management Plan and Risk Assessment. There will be opportunity for the public to ask questions during this meeting.
Join the Zoom meeting onlineJoin by phone:- +1 253 205 0468 US
- +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
- 888 475 4499 US Toll-free
Meeting ID: 825 0361 9302
Passcode: 696472
DEQ is committed to providing regular updates with interested community members. If you would like to be added to the email distribution list, please contact Michael Loch at
michael.loch@deq.oregon.gov.
Current status
The site is considered a “brownfield", which is a vacant or underused property where actual or perceived environmental contamination complicates its reuse. DEQ is providing the City of Portland's Bureau of Environmental Services with technical assistance and oversight for investigating, cleaning up and planning safe reuse of the site. Learn more about DEQ's brownfields program by visiting our brownfields web page or reading our brownfields fact sheet.
DEQ issued the City of Portland a Water Pollution Control Facility permit in preparation for construction work at the site. This permit alone does not allow the City of Portland to do any ground disturbing work at the site. The City of Portland must have a Contaminated Media Management Plan approved by DEQ before that work can begin. The Contaminated Media Management Plan will provide site-specific information and guidance regarding the management of contaminated media that may be encountered during construction activities.
The City of Portland is also preparing a Risk Assessment that DEQ will evaluate for potential risks to occupants and workers on the site. The Risk Assessment will inform proper cleanup and reuse planning. Part of the Risk Assessment includes soil vapor testing to confirm whether or not a vapor intrusion pathway poses a risk to human health. The soil vapor testing will take place in late-April 2024.
DEQ put the city's draft 1200-CA stormwater construction general permit application on public notice on March 6, 2024, which included a 14-day public comment period. The permit puts into place stormwater management and erosion control requirements during construction. DEQ requires the city to obtain this permit in preparation for doing construction work at the site, but it alone does not allow any ground disturbing work to be done at the site. The city must have a DEQ-approved Contaminated Media Management Plan before ground disturbing work can begin. DEQ intends to issue this permit upon approval of the city's Contaminated Media Management plan.