Chico >> An illegal homeless camp in south Chico is growing despite notices to vacate from the city and landowners, and neighbors have become concerned with sanitation and safety.

About 40 people are living on the corner of Morrow Lane and Notre Dame Boulevard, sharing tents, a garden and portable toilet. The area is in an industrial neighborhood, across the street from Payless Building Supply and part of the Morrow Lane Irrigation District.

City code enforcement officers have issued a second citation to the man leasing the land, Chicoan Joel Castle, who has also been served a 30-day notice to vacate from the landowners.

Castle welcomed people to the property about two months ago so they had a place to stay through the cold winter months.

City Building Official Leo DePaola said residential use poses health and safety concerns unless a formal project proposal is submitted, reviewed and approved by city officials. These concerns have been compounded by the camp’s increasing number of people.

“We’re getting a ton of complaints down there,” he said. “The amount of people has grown and there’s still only one port-a-potty down there.”

Neighbors have expressed concerns about people defecating in the creek, stealing and catching lumber owned by Payless Building Supply on fire. DePaola said none of the complaints has been verified.

Chico Fire Department officials have visited the site and said the fires, likely used for cooking, are not posing a danger, according to DePaola. The site has not been unruly, but there are clutter and garbage concerns.

“People are concerned about the safety of it,” DePaola said. “We’re doing our due diligence to make sure it’s safe and sanitary. On the other hand, these things take time. We definitely feel empathetic to the situation and the people who are there, because they’re caught in the middle of a situation they can’t control.”

The Butte County Environmental Health Department hasn’t received any formal requests for inspection, said spokesperson Casey Hatcher. They will support the city in any way they can to make sure they are addressing public health issues and keeping nearby Comanche Creek clean.

Chico attorney Dirk Potter spoke on behalf of landowner Ted Ball of Roseville. Ted and Justine Ball are listed as trustees of the property through Ball Family Living Trust, according to the Butte County Assessor’s Office.

The limited lease agreement is for month-to-month day use of five acres of land, Potter said. It does not include anything about people staying there overnight or for extended periods of time. It does allow for goats, chickens and a garden.

“He (Ball) feels somewhat victimized,” Potter said. “None of this had been discussed with him prior to entering the agreement.”

The city sent Ball a notice of improper use on the property. Ball met with Potter and they decided to issue a termination notice. The 30 days of the notice will be reached next week.

Potter said certainly everyone feels it’s an unfortunate situation for the people that are there, but he does not believe they necessarily want to get involved in this.

“Mr. Ball is trying to cooperate with the city,” he said. “He’s just trying to do what they’re asking him to do at this point.”

Castle said he is “in the middle of two wars,” one with the city and one with the landowners. He said there is “no doubt” he’s going to continue to fight for the people he has invited to stay on the property, even if he is served with an eviction notice.

According to Castle, the city would not allow him to keep goats on the property, his original intention along with tending a garden, unless he went through a costly process of changing the land use.

Castle said he felt cheated after investing time and money into the place. That’s when he created the “farm” for homeless people.

He said it’s in a good location and now fewer people are wandering the streets and residential areas of Chico looking for bathrooms or a place to sleep. Castle has not submitted a formal proposal for rezoning the site but said he wanted to work with local service providers to make it happen.

“I’m trying to give them back their dignity and a place to go and they love it. … It’s like a paradise for them,” he said. “Chico has everything to win with this program. It’s going to make Chico safer.”

Contact reporter Ashiah Scharaga at 896-7768.