Sunday – which is when WSB reader Kevin McClintic took these photos – was the eighth and final day for campers to clean up the former “Nickelsville” site at 7116 W. Marginal Way SW. Mayoral spokesperson Aaron Pickus confirmed to WSB today that the city had granted them access through the weekend, but that’s now over.

What they left behind consists mostly of a big stack of wood – this and more:

We noticed the giant pile when passing the site this afternoon. The city Department of Finance and Administrative Services is in charge of the city work at the site now, according to Pickus, so we checked with FAS spokesperson Katherine Schubert-Knapp. She says that installation of the temporary chain-link fence was to be completed today, as well as other work: “This fence will remain on site for up to six months as needed. Cleanup also start(ed) today, focusing first in the west side park and ride area. We’re hoping to finish that section by tomorrow and crews will then focus on the property inside the fence. That work should start this week and is expected to be completed by Sept. 20.” If you are just catching up with this story, after almost 2 1/2 years of occupying the West Marginal Way site, the encampment did not challenge city leaders’ plan to close it as of September 1st, and have since moved to three other sites, in the Central District, Madison Valley, and unincorporated Skyway.

The cleanup and moving operation at the former “Nickelsville” site is in its seventh day. Top photo is the view from the former parking-lot entrance. The parking lot itself is a hub of activity as the remaining “5S”‘s are moved – the “small simple sturdy sleeping structures” still standing on the east end of the site. Today is a day to try to get all 14 of them moved, the camp announced via Facebook, so we went back for these photos:

The forklift and trucks are vital to what they’re doing now – trying to get those structures to the new campsites in the Central District, Madison Valley, and Skyway.

As we reported Thursday, the city has fenced off the site; the mayor’s office confirmed that the former campers would have access through Friday to continue cleanup, but that’s apparently been extended – we’ll check back with them Monday.

On the fourth day after “Moving Day,” the former site of the “Nickelsville” encampment at 7116 West Marginal Way SW in West Seattle still isn’t clear; the photo above, taken this afternoon, shows the view southeast into the site from what was its parking-lot entrance. However, a chain-link fence went up today around its perimeter, as the city had promised – this view is from that same side, atop the steps:

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And this view is on the north side, along Highland Park Way SW:

According to the Nickelsville Works Facebook page, the city will allow them access to the site through the end of tomorrow (Friday, September 6th) to clean up and pack up what’s left following the move to three other sites (all shown in our Sunday coverage). Mayoral spokesperson Aaron Pickus confirms that, and tells WSB that once that extension is over, “The City will clean up with the site with the appropriate equipment.”

Meanwhile, the city also continues to post and clear small campsites found in other areas. A resident tipped us to some clearing work in a greenbelt area along California Way between North Admiral and east Alki; it had been posted in July, and the cleanup crew left a big stack of bags Wednesday afternoon:

The city’s approach to smaller campsites continues to follow what was outlined here three years ago, according to Pickus.

(UPDATED 9:04 PM with photos from our early-evening return visits to the four sites – scroll down)

11:56 AM: This is the date set by the City Council in June for closure of the West Seattle site that for more than two years has been home to the encampment that calls itself “Nickelsville.” As we’ve reported in ongoing coverage, the encampment announced it has three new sites. We’re checking in on the move as today proceeds, starting with a look at those three sites (mapped here) so we have “before and after” photos. At 11 am, an hour into the announced schedule for “moving day,” we stopped at 2020 S. Jackson:

Porta-potties were in view, as were “no parking” signs for today only. The only person in view was someone getting ready to do some weed-whacking. The site is owned by the Low-Income Housing Institute, per county records; it owns Ernestine Anderson Place next door, described as “60 units for homeless and low-income seniors.” From there, we headed north to the 1419 22nd Ave. site, photographed at 11:07 am, no one there yet:

That site is owned by the adjacent-to-the-south Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd. From there, via I-5, we got to the Skyway site at 11:25. It’s at 12914 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S., a busy freeway-like stretch between I-5 and Renton, which according to property records used to hold a tavern and motel; its ownership is listed as an LLC held by Pete Sikov, who gained fame in 2005 as owner of Jimi Hendrix‘s boyhood home. Photo shortly added:

It’s the largest site but also, as had been noted on the Nickelsville Works Facebook page, choked with overgrowth. No one on site as of 11:35 am, but two porta-potties are in view, as with the other two sites. Next, what’s happening at the West Seattle site right now; arriving in the area, we found ourselves behind a van containing the Nickelsville goats, whom we’re told are headed to munch on the Skyway overgrowth.

12:51 PM: The photo above is our overview from right about noon. Lots of work in view:

And belongings gathered up:

The view further into the camp:

We’ll revisit the sites late in the day for updates.

2:55 PM UPDATE: In our update last Thursday, we showed the encampment flyer that included a schedule for cleaning up the site over the next three days. Highland Park Action Committee co-chair Carolyn Stauffer says the city has sanctioned that: “I just heard from Jerry DeGrieck / Mayor’s office- with an update: They are going to allow access to the current Nickelsville site through Wednesday for time to move, clear and clean up the site; there will be added security at the site through that time, and a fence will go up on Thursday.”

8:55 PM UPDATE: As planned, we revisited the sites past and present early this evening, in the 6 pm hour. If you’re reading this from the home page, click ahead to see; otherwise, just keep scrolling:

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Again tonight, members of the Westside Interfaith Network kept a roadside vigil just outside the encampment that calls itself “Nickelsville,” which by all indications is now gearing up for a moving day Sunday, city officials’ declared deadline for closing the site, rather than for a standoff.

As reported here last night, the encampment says it has secured three sites, and plans to announce the second and third locations tomorrow; the first one announced is at 20th and Jackson in the Central District.

The newest update on the encampment’s official Facebook page “Nickelsville Works“ includes the flyer below with a schedule for moving, and for cleaning up the current site, once it’s vacated:

Closing and clearing the site would be a step toward enabling its sale to Food Lifeline, which wants to build a new headquarters for its work fighting hunger in the region. But it’s not the only site FL is examining, according to development director Amy Lee Derenthal: “We have a couple other sites we’re looking at and doing our due diligence to make sure we make the best decision as to where we’ll build our Hunger Solution Center. The West Marginal Way site has been our preferred site and once we finish our due diligence process, we’ll let the community at large know of our plans. … Food Lifeline has been working with Low Income Housing representatives, the Church Council and the residents of Nickelsville for the last 15 months to help them find a more suitable location. The current site does not have very good transit options and it floods in the winter months. We help provide food to the Nickelsville community through one of our agencies, Operation Sack Lunch, and will continue to do so when they do eventually move.” It’s been almost 11 months since FL’s interest in the West Seattle site surfaced.

Eviction won’t be necessary – ‘Nickelsville’ says it has secured three sites so that everyone can move. That’s according to an announcement minutes ago on the encampment’s official Facebook page:

Great news! Nickelsville has secured two more sites and will be moving this Sunday. We’re notifying the neighbors before announcing the two additional sites on Friday afternoon. There are many ways you can help with the move, either by helping us pack up the trucks, donating money to pay for our bills at this site, or donating materials such as 33 gallon trash bags, duct tape, basic tools such as hammers, or bringing food and water on moving day.

The one site that already has been announced is in the Central District, at 20th and Jackson. Also posted on the Nickelsville Works page, a photo of a flyer with packing/moving instructions for camp residents. More to come.

(WSB photo from Monday night, looking southeast from the encampment’s main gate)
Less than a week remains until September 1st, the date the city has proclaimed and posted for closing the site where the encampment that calls itself “Nickelsville” has been for more than two years. Again tonight, the Westside Interfaith Network brought volunteers to keep vigil outside the encampment, near the busy intersection of West Marginal Way SW and Highland Park Way SW:

Organizer Mary Anne deVry says her understanding is that people are continuing to arrive at Nickelsville, rather than clearing out as the deadline nears; we had heard the same thing in our conversation with a manager from Union Gospel Mission, brought in by the city to spend at least some of the allocated $500,000 to find housing and other services for campers. But again, this week’s nightly vigils by WIN (6-9 pm each evening through Saturday) – a primarily faith-based coalition of churches/organizations in the West Seattle/White Center vicinity – are meant to shine a light on the plight of homeless people, not necessarily to oppose the closure of the encampment, although deVry and other volunteers continue to wonder where the estimated 150 or so there will go.

They shouldn’t have been allowed to put down roots there in the first place, contends Highland Park Action Committee co-chair Carolyn Stauffer, whose community council is headquartered just up the Highland Park Way hill.

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That sign quoting former Vice President Hubert Humphrey was held by the youngest of just over a dozen people standing in a patch of dead grass on the roadside outside the main entrance to “Nickelsville” this past hour. It was also the only sign in evidence – Mary Anne deVry from the Westside Interfaith Network, the coalition of area churches/faith groups starting a week of vigils there, said they will probably bring one or more tomorrow. For now, they are waving flashlights:

That’s to underscore their intent – to “shine a light” on homelessness in Seattle. WIN announced Friday that they would hold a vigil each night through next Saturday, 6-10 pm. Next Sunday is September 1st – the date that Seattle elected officials have decreed as closure day for the camp, proclaimed on signs installed by its entrance:

Some of the half-million dollars the City Council approved for getting people out of the camp and into housing has so far placed 47 people, according to Union Gospel Mission, the organization tabbed by the city to work on relocating “campers” – but, as a UGM manager acknowledged in an interview with WSB on Friday, that hasn’t reduced the population. It’s estimated at least 125 people are there now, up from fewer than 100 when the relocation effort began. The Nickelsville Central Committee has said publicly that it hopes to move to three sites, only one of which – in the Central District – has been formally announced. But it was evident tonight that housekeeping/cleanup is under way:

The wood that was being carried out and stacked in the parking area had been lining pathways but is no longer needed, we were told. Meantime, deVry told us that the local church representatives had served a meal at the camp tonight, before walking over to the roadside for the casual vigil. They’ll be back tomorrow, same time, 6-10 pm, and anyone interested in calling attention to homelessness – whether you support “Nickelsville” or not – is welcome.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Two months gone since the vote, eight days to go, until the deadline city leaders set for closing the West Seattle site to which the encampment that calls itself “Nickelsville” returned two years ago.

On Friday, we reported on the Westside Interfaith Network‘s plan to hold nightly vigils for a week, from tomorrow through next Saturday (August 31st) – not to demand that the encampment be allowed to stay open, but simply, WIN’s Mary Anne deVry says, to remind the greater community that homelessness remains an unsolved problem.

After publishing that story, we talked with Terry Pallas from Union Gospel Mission, which has an agreement with the city to find housing and services for Nickelsville “campers” with the money (up to $500,000) that City Councilmembers voted in June to spend.

How is it being spent?

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(UPDATED 3:34 pm with new information from Union Gospel Mission – scroll to end)

Nine days remain until the September 1st date by which city leaders committed to closing the encampment that calls itself “Nickelsville,” on mostly city-owned land at West Marginal Way and Highland Park Way. By multiple accounts – including the one you’ll see below – the number of people there has increased instead of decreased. What will happen when September 1st arrives, remains to be seen. First: We asked for comment from the mayor, whose spokesperson Aaron Pickus replies:

I’m not going to speculate on what will happen on September 1st. What I can say is that our focus is to find shelter for those currently living at the site.

In June, when 7 councilmembers called for the closure, the mayor replied that he would “follow the City Council’s direction to evict those who remain” if the site isn’t vacant on September 1st.

The City Council, which called for the closure, is on its summer break right now, so no official discussions are scheduled on their part. But the latest acknowledgment that the closure date is approaching comes from the Westside Interfaith Network, a coalition of local churches and faith-based groups that has long coalesced around the issue of homelessness. We covered its forum on the issue in mid-June. WIN’s Mary Anne deVry says the group plans nightly vigils at Nickelsville starting this Sunday – NOT to demand that it stay open, but to show their concern about the unsolved problem of homelessness. She writes:

Westside Inferfaith Network (WIN) met this week and decided to hold a vigil at Nickelsville’s parking lot each evening next week (Sun. 8/25 thru Sat. 8/31). This idea arose as we were discussing the growing crisis of homeless people. Our idea is based on these facts:

-Nickelsville is closing (September 1st) & there are still ~150 residents with no confirmed place to move,

-There’s a steady increase of homeless people (recently 9 families asked shelter at N’ville in a 13 day period–& many couples/singles keep coming–none of them were looking for “freebies!)

-2-1-1 reports shelters are full (most people coming to N’ville are told to do so by 2-1-1),

-it’s not safe to live in the greenbelt or city streets.

-We also know literally tens of thousands of people in our area struggle on the brink of homelessness. There will be future homeless people.

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Been wondering who would get the money approved by the City Council this week to help move out Nickelsville residents so the encampment can be closed by September 1st? Union Gospel Mission just announced they’re working with the city:

Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission (“the Mission”) is developing a contract with the City of Seattle’s (“the City”) Human Services Department to help Nickelsville residents transition to permanent housing and get back on their feet. This comes as a result of the $500,000 appropriated by the City this week to assist the residents of Nickelsville to secure housing, shelter and services over the next several months.

“The Mission looks forward to walking beside the 160 individuals and families who desire a pathway out of homelessness. Mission staff will develop relationships with individuals and families wanting assistance, assessing their needs, finding appropriate housing options, and meeting with them on a weekly basis for up to a year with the goal of each person becoming fully self-reliant,” said Jeff Lilley, the Mission’s president.

The Mission will offer:

1. Relocation assistance to permanent housing for all Nickelsville residents – though all are free to seek their own alternatives.

2. Assisted and case-managed housing, up to one year – with the goal to have residents fully self-reliant at the end of that year.

3. Case management to help residents develop self-sustainable skills, utilizing existing resources as needed, including the Mission’s legal services, dental clinic, community job sources, etc.

4. Evaluation and referral services to those residents requesting entrance into recovery programs – guaranteeing a treatment bed in the Mission’s programs if they so choose (or a referral to other program).

5. Emergency shelter beds at Mission facilities during this transition period as needed.

“The Mission will not manage Nickelsville during this time, just assist in the relocation process. The project has many challenges as well as opportunities, and the Mission, with funding from the City, will begin work right away, ” said Lilley.

Seven City Councilmembers‘ letter proposing closing the encampment that calls itself “Nickelsville” is now followed up with a proposed ordinance to be introduced next Monday. It declares the situation an “emergency” for reasons including:

The City Council finds that the encampment located at 7116 W Marginal Way SW has created a public health and safety risk due to ongoing and potential public health and safety issues, as indicated by (1) numerous 9-1-1 calls and police investigations of criminal activities, and (2) a Phase I Environmental Assessment that addresses potential environmental contamination of the property. As such, the City Council finds that this act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety and believes that the City should act immediately to move the campers off of the site and into appropriate shelter, housing and services.

If passed, the ordinance would appropriate half a million dollars for “a non-profit organization to provide outreach, engagement, case management, shelter, housing and other services to the campers at 7116 W Marginal Way SW” in order to move them out and close the camp by September 1st. We’re checking now on how that organization will be chosen and when.

2:23 PM UPDATE: City Council communicator Dan Nolte says this is scheduled for a vote during the full council’s 2 pm meeting July 8th.

(Added 12:14 pm: Video of this morning’s council “briefing” meeting)
FIRST REPORT, 10:29 AM: Seven City Councilmembers are sending Mayor McGinn a letter asking him to close the “Nickelsville” encampment by September 1st. News of this first emerged this morning during discussion at the first of the two regular Monday meetings of the full council. We have just obtained a copy of the letter, which is signed by all councilmembers except Nick Licata and Mike O’Brien. It asks the city’s Human Services department to come up with a plan to “provide immediate targeted outreach and engagement services” to those living at the encampment, “along with immediate provision of shelter, housing, and other services,” to prepare for closing the encampment. This comes two days before Nickelsville is scheduled to be discussed at the Housing, Human Services, Health, and Culture Committee, which Licata chairs. We’ve asked for reaction from the mayor; his office hasn’t seen the letter yet. (We’ll add the letter here shortly.)

10:40 AM UPDATE: Here’s the letter:

2:21 PM UPDATE: We asked for a comment from the Highland Park Action Committee, which asked the city to close the encampment – which moved back to West Seattle two years ago – before summer:

We appreciate the council finally recognizing that the illegal encampment known as Nickelsville is not a good model for how our City should be treating our homeless. While we wish we had seen this letter and strong leadership over two years ago, we applaud that someone in our City government is finally seeing that this encampment has an unsustainable vision. We encourage the Mayor to respond quickly, preferable with a sooner move-out date in an effort to honor the community’s request. We would also like to see the Human Services department pay regular visits to our greenbelt throughout the summer to offer the same outreach, services, and provisions to the people living there.

3:22 PM UPDATE: And now a statement from the mayor, saying that unless a council majority changes its mind, he will expect the camp to be cleared by 9/1 and will evict anyone still there:

appreciate the work of Councilmembers Licata and O’Brien for working on expanding legal options for encampments, which built upon the work of an advisory task force I assembled in my first year in office. For some time we have delayed enforcement of the law against encampments on industrial lands while the City Council examined these proposals to provide more opportunities for legal encampments in the City of Seattle. In light of the City Council’s clear statement of intent that they will not expand encampments further, and that they expect Nickelsville to clear the property by September 1, motivated in part by the desire to sell this property to Food Lifeline, I have no further basis to not enforce the law.

We will provide additional services, including extended winter shelter hours through the summer. Absent a change in direction by the City Council, by September 1 we expect the property to be vacated and we will follow the City Council’s direction to evict those who remain.

The agenda is out for next Wednesday’s meeting of the City Council’s Housing, Human Services, Health, and Culture Committee – and, as first reported here last week, it includes a discussion about the future of the site that currently houses the “Nickelsville” encampment – as described on the agenda:

Options Related to Future Use of the “Glassyard” property located south of Highland Park Way Southwest between 2nd Avenue Southwest and South Myrtle Street

The two ordinances listed for discussion are CB 117791, Councilmember Nick Licata‘s proposal to expand the types of sites citywide that could host encampments – which is still moving toward a formal public hearing June 25th – and CB 117792, Mayor McGinn’s proposed alternative (if the Licata bill is not passed) that would appropriate money for an environmental study of making the “Nickelsville” site semi-permanent. The Wednesday (June 12) committee meeting is at 2 pm at City Hall and starts with a public comment session that can pertain to this or any other item on the agenda, and will be live on Seattle Channel (cable 21 or online) if you can’t be there.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

More updates today on the future of the encampment known as “Nickelsville” and its mostly-city-owned site:

First, from Highland Park Action Committee, which says it’s time for the encampment to move on, chair Carolyn Stauffer says:

We’ve just come back from the City Clerk’s office, where we filed a claim. We filed for “Declaratory Judgement” as to whether the Land Use Code, the Building and Construction Codes, and the Health and Safety Codes – all part of the Seattle Municipal Codes, apply to the SDOT property at 7116 West Marginal Way (current site of Nickelsville).

We filed with a “Permanent Injunction” requiring the City to move the encampment. This asks the court to clarify if that parcel of land exists outside of existing laws governing the entire City, and if it’s not, then we ask that the courts order the city to move the encampment. Our application was submitted with photos and maps documenting the encampment and the specific locations of activity in the West Duwamish Greenbelt.

We expect to hear back from them in 3-4 days with a claim number and confirmation, and then there is a 60 (day) wait period. If we don’t hear back, it opens the door to a lawsuit, which cannot be filed until this claim has been submitted … so the wheels of legal action are starting to turn, as of today.

Stauffer also says HPAC is continuing to circulate its online petition (first noted here last Friday), declaring it “is the number-one issue City Council is hearing about from citizens right now.” She also is encouraging turnout for this Wednesday’s City Council Housing, Human Services, Health, and Culture Committee meeting at City Hall, which will include a review of two proposed ordinances that would relate to Nickelsville (both linked in our Friday report) – public comment will be at the start of the hearing, around 2 pm. You can read the rest of the HPAC update here, including a reminder that their monthly meeting is that same day, Wednesday (May 22), 7 pm at Highland Park Improvement Club (12th/Holden).

Other updates include a clarification from the city’s Finance and Administrative Services department on the cost of an environmental study that the mayor’s proposed ordinance would require for the encampment site to be made “semi-permanent”:

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