Phoenix silent on plans for 'The Zone' as people living there prepare for its shutdown

Joseph Gordon was throwing his electric bike onto a small cart in a hurry Thursday morning.

After hearing reports that the downtown Phoenix homeless encampment called "The Zone" will be shut down by November, he wanted to get his belongings in order quickly.

“I’ve got to go through all this,” he said referring to possessions accumulated behind him.

Gordon was among the people living in the city’s largest homeless encampment who by Thursday morning heard the news of a judicial order, issued Wednesday, that Phoenix must clear the camp of people and tents by Nov. 4.

While some Zone residents are skeptical the shutdown will happen, after Gordon got word from his neighbors on the block, he decided to move out now, before he's forced out.

The post-trial order in the lawsuit Brown v. City of Phoenix gives the city roughly six weeks to vacate the multi-block encampment surrounding the Human Services Campus, a group of around a dozen nonprofits serving people experiencing homelessness. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney agreed with nearby residents and business owners who said the encampment is a public nuisance that subjected them to property damage and crime.

Gabriel Molina, who has been living in The Zone for around nine months, said he hadn't heard of the order by Thursday morning. If he has to leave The Zone, he said, he will probably stay living on the street.

Joe Faillace, the owner of the Old Station Sub Shop and one of the plaintiffs in the suit, said he was relieved to see a decisive response from the judge. His shop sits within the boundaries of The Zone.

"What our neighborhood had to go through was unbelievable," Faillace said.

As city officials navigate the judge’s decision, they still must abide by an order in a separate, federal lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona last year. That order requires the city to provide notice before clearing an area, store personal items for at least 30 days and cannot enforce camping and sleeping bans against people who "practically cannot obtain shelter as long as there are more unsheltered individuals in Phoenix than there are shelter beds available."

Phoenix began clearing blocks of The Zone in May, after a pre-trial order from Blaney required the city to show it was taking action to clean the area. The ninth block was cleared Wednesday and about as many blocks remain. The Human Services Campus estimates roughly 500 people are still living in blocks near South 12th Avenue and West Madison Street, the epicenter of The Zone.

The city has spaced its block-by-block cleanups by two to three weeks. City officials have said this timing was meant to ensure shelter beds were available for people who are told they need to leave the street.

The city expects to open a structured campground that will include up to 200 spaces for people to stay, according to public records discussed by the City Council on Wednesday. City officials previously suggested the campground would provide up to 400 spaces.

The council on Wednesday voted unanimously to rezone 5 ½ acres for the campground, which will be on the southwest corner of 15th Avenue and Jackson Street. People living in The Zone will have priority for campground spaces, according to zoning stipulations agreed to by the council.

There's no set date for opening the campground, but it should be ready this fall, Deputy City Manager Gina Montes told the council Wednesday.

The campground will include restrooms, 24/7 security and case management services, according to city documents. People living there will be expected to abide by a code of conduct that prohibits drugs or alcohol in the area.

Phoenix officials declined requests Thursday to field questions about how and when they plan to clear The Zone.

Helen Rummel covers housing insecurity and homelessness for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at hrummel@gannett.com.

Coverage of housing insecurity on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Arizona Community Foundation.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix silent on 'Zone' plans as people living hear of shutdown order