The leader of an influential group of Portland business owners said Thursday that she doesn't support the proposed move of Right 2 Dream Too to the Central Eastside.

Debbie Kitchin, president of the Central Eastside Industrial Council, said her organization "can't be strong enough" in saying it is against the homeless camp moving to a plot of land near Southeast Third Avenue and Harrison Street.

"We're not in favor of outdoor camping [in our neighborhood]," Kitchin said, adding the group "should be housed in a building."

Kitchin said the council is gathering more information and trying to determine options, including potential legal action. "Some people were under the impression that we are OK with it," Kitchin said, "and we're not."

The business group's opposition is the latest development in the effort to find a new home for the homeless community, which set up in Old Town Chinatown in October 2011 and hasn't moved since. In February 2014, the City Council approved a complex land deal to direct $846,000 to help find R2D2 a new home.

On Wednesday, Mayor Charlie Hales and Commissioner Amanda Fritz said the city was in negotiations with the Oregon Department of Transportation to buy surplus land in the Central Eastside with the goal of moving R2D2 to the property by late summer.

Hales and Fritz toured the ODOT property on Monday alongside Kitchin, Portland Police Bureau leaders and other eastside business owners.

Kitchin said she first learned of the city's plan on Monday. Hales and Fritz said they've spent the past two months looking at the property.

"I don't understand why it has to happen within a few weeks," Kitchin said, citing an expected City Council vote in May. "They've been talking about it for months. We just found out about it."

Last summer, Kitchin said the industrial council told Hales' office they wouldn't support an outdoor camp in the neighborhood after learning that the city looked at a property in the district.

Kitchin said her primary concerns are safety, the size of the camp and the remoteness of the property.

Dana Haynes, Hales' spokesman, said the group's opposition isn't a surprise.

Haynes said the city hasn't purchased the land and will continue to do outreach to educate neighboring businesses and the community about R2D2. "The message here about Right 2 Dream Too is it has been a very good neighbor and it will be again," Haynes said.

The mayor's office now must convince the neighborhood that R2D2 will be "a great, great addition to your neighborhood," Haynes said.

Hales' aide, Josh Alpert, will speak to the industrial council next week.



-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@cityhallwatch