City Plans ‘Urban Campground’

To thwart arrests of sidewalk residents in a major Skid Row cleanup scheduled to begin Thursday, Mayor Tom Bradley today offered a temporary solution to house the homeless in a downtown “urban campground.”

A lot owned by the RTD at 4th Street and Santa Fe Avenue will accommodate up to 600 people and can be expanded to house more, Bradley said. The mayor said the campground, to be operated by the Salvation Army, will be available for two months and is expected to open within the week. He said the Community Redevelopment Agency has been directed to build a fence around the property, and a task force is raising the estimated $100,000 needed to open and maintain the property.