Mayor Ted Wheeler brokered a last-minute deal with Right 2 Dream Too residents Thursday, finding a new location for the homeless community.

The residents of Right 2 Dream Too will move to a triangle-shaped piece of Portland Bureau of Transportation land. The paved parking lot is a right-of-way between the Moda Center and the Willamette River.

Right 2 Dream Too is allowed to stay there for up to two years while city officials keep working with organizers to find a more permanent location. However, that timeline comes with one caveat -- the City Council must renew its existing emergency ordinance around homelessness so that zoning rules are relaxed enough to allow living on the land.

"Solutions around locating Right 2 Dream Too have eluded the city for years, and it was unclear if this time would be any different," Wheeler said in a statement. "I want to thank the residents and representatives of R2DToo, Commissioners Fritz and Saltzman, and our respective staffs for sticking with it. Their dedication to collaboration and problem solving made all the difference."

The Portland Development Commission, which has a long-standing plan to buy the current location for $1.2 million, and landlord Michael Wright agreed to allow Right 2 Dream Too residents to stay 60 days while they move.

Organizers say that they are happy with the short-term solution, but that it only addresses their immediate needs.

Recently, Right 2 Dream Too received an eviction notice for Friday after five and a half years at their current home at the Chinatown gates. Since forming in 2011, Right 2 Dream Too has been in the crosshairs of controversy between Wright, neighboring businesses and city officials.

The organizers of Right 2 Dream Too said they have been working in good faith on a move.

"Three times we found a reasonable relocation site and three times we were turned away by individuals, businesses and organizations who, out of ignorance and fear, refused to accept our presence, even as we committed to continuing to be good and safe neighbors," said Trillium Shannon, an organizer, and Mark Kramer, attorney for Right 2 Dream, in a statement.

Its prominence on the edge of the Pearl District caused City Hall to want it moved.

In February, the partners behind the Grove Hotel, a nine-story luxury building, lead by developer Bob Naito, sued Wright to evict the homeless residents. The suit claimed the presence of Right 2 Dream Too devalued their investment.

But the "rest stop" model had gained more support over the years, largely due to Commissioner Amanda Fritz's role as protector and advocate. Behind a series of accordioned doors lining West Burnside and Southwest Fourth Avenue, the self-governed homeless community allowed anyone a place to sleep for up to 12 hours as long as they followed the rules.

Fritz, who spearheaded the charge to relocate the homeless community for years before turning it over to Wheeler in the past few months, said she is confident the council will back a renewal of the homelessness ordinance. Commissioner Dan Saltzman gave his OK as head of the Transportation Bureau for the deal already.

Some of the residents of Right 2 Dream Too have transitioned to permanent housing, supporters say, because of its proximity to social services that are mostly located downtown.

The challenge for Right 2 Dream advocates of the new location is that it won't be as obvious to people walking by, which Shannon said means that they will just have to make sure the rest stop focuses harder on its purpose to provide safe sleep to anyone.

Burt Nelson of the Mayor's Office said he has been working with neighbors at the Moda Center and Rose Quarter to ensure concert and sports game attendees live peacefully next to the homeless residents.

The Mayor's Office also plans to work with the TriMet program that provides fare assistance to low-income residents so Right 2 Dream residents can receive transit passes for free to continue to make and keep appointments with service agencies.

Right 2 Dream also has a grant through Ride Connection to help.

"In the coming months, Right 2 Dream Too welcomes community support, both financial and in-kind, as we prepare for our move," Shannon said. "We will recreate a safe, secure, humane and functional space where people have the right to rest, to sleep, to dream."

-- Molly Harbarger

mharbarger@oregonian.com

503-294-5923

@MollyHarbarger