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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12220111/Portland-property-developer-pulls-city-four-decades-building-squat.html

Fed-up Portland property developer pulls out of the city after four
decades after he was forced to sell building for staggering $383,000
loss after vagrants turned it into a squat
A property developer who has been operating in Portland for four decades
is pulling out after he was forced to take a 50 percent hit on a building
The building had become home to homeless squatters who continued to live
there even after the building was boarded up
Kevin Howard first listed the building in January 2021 seeking $795,000
but ended up settling for just $412,000 when he sold this year
By PAUL FARRELL FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

PUBLISHED: 16:45 EDT, 21 June 2023 | UPDATED: 17:19 EDT, 21 June 2023
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A property developer who has been operating in crime-ridden Portland for
four decades says that he's pulling out of the city because he has
'nothing left in the tank' after recently selling one property for
nearly half its listed value.

Kevin Howard, 75, told KATU in a recent interview that the property in
question had become home to squatters after the pizza restaurant that
had been renting the space shuttered 2020. He listed the building in
January 2021 for $795,000 but ended up selling for $412,000 this year.

'The supposed homeless came in and kicked in the door, the front door,
and lived in it. And I waited until they came out, and I had to board it
up,' Howard said.

Despite boarding up the property, Howard said the squatters were able to
break-in again and resume living there.

When he called the police, Howard said the was referred to another
government office, Central City Concern, but was told that they agency
wouldn't be able to do much other than provide coffee and soup for the
vagrants.

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The cost of a security guard was estimated to cost $15,000 per month,
something that Howard couldn't afford. Eventually, he ringfenced the
building, something that took four months to organize.

'I said, 'Why?' They said: 'Because homeowners like mad are fencing
their property to keep the, you know, the drug addicts and homeless out.''

With the building fenced off, trash began to pile up, Howard said. He
was issued with a fine of $540 from the city, which he agreed to pay.

On top of everything else, Howard said that the city mishandled his
check and issued him a new fine that included a late payment fee, coming
to $640. At that point, Howard said that he was told a lien had been
placed on the building.

'I just remember the phrase 'The City That Works.' The city that jerks.
I mean, how can you be this dysfunctional?' City officials told the
station that Howard no longer has any outstanding debts with the local
government.

'I've been all over the world. I lived in Australia for a couple of
years. I've been to all 50 states and all over. I came back to Portland,
and I came back to Oregon because I loved it. I loved the people, the
greenery, the lifestyle,' Howard said.

Property developer Kevin Howard pictured outside of the property he was
just forced to sell for half of the listed value
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Property developer Kevin Howard pictured outside of the property he was
just forced to sell for half of the listed value

Over the past 12 months, Howard told KATU that he has spent a total of
$23,000 on managing the property, including the cost of fencing as well
as multiple cleanups that needed to be done on the space
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View gallery
Over the past 12 months, Howard told KATU that he has spent a total of
$23,000 on managing the property, including the cost of fencing as well
as multiple cleanups that needed to be done on the space

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Over the past 12 months, Howard told KATU that he has spent a total of
$23,000 on managing the property, including the cost of fencing as well
as multiple cleanups that needed to be done on the space.

Online records show that Howard, a graduate of the University of Notre
Dame, is the founder of Northwest Self Storage, which operates in three
states in the region.

Howard's story is nothing new. In September 2022,

Homelessness and crime continue to be rife in Portland. Earlier this
month, officials announced that they would be removing tents that were
blocking sidewalks in the city.

This came after Portland settled a lawsuit with a group with disabilities.

Lifelong residents Bruce and Rebecca 'Becky' Philip who told
DailyMail.com that they're 'done with Portland' due to the increasing
number of homeless camps that have trickled into the suburbs from downtown.

'I've been here 65 years but I'm done,' Bruce Philip said. 'I'm done
with Portland.'

'What's there to say, they move in, take over the neighborhood, do their
drugs, play their loud music, and make a mess,' he said, adding that the
homeless crisis has ruined not just a few neighborhoods, but all of
Portland.

The couple also pointed out that the sweeps of the homeless camps are
not the final solution and have not changed their minds about moving.

'The city comes in and cleans it up and then two weeks later, they come
back,' Bruce Philip said. 'It's a vicious cycle, and I'm done.'

Multnomah County's homeless population reached 5,228 last year ¿ a rise
of more than 1,200 against 2019
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View gallery
Multnomah County's homeless population reached 5,228 last year — a rise
of more than 1,200 against 2019

The city council voted 3-1 earlier this month, passing an ordinance that
will prohibit camping on public property from 8 am to 8 pm.
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View gallery
The city council voted 3-1 earlier this month, passing an ordinance that
will prohibit camping on public property from 8 am to 8 pm.

Local realtor George Patterson told DailyMail.com that the homeless
encampments encroaching on residents' front lawns is a topic that comes
up with his clients 'every day', and that deals are falling through
homes for sale in the area.

In one case, an early offer for a three-bedroom home asking close to
$700,000 near a sanctioned homeless encampment, called Multnomah Village.

'We had early offer on a home, but it fell through and there was some
concern there with the Multnomah village site,' Patterson said.

'I can say [homeless encampments] are definitely affecting the property
values.'

The federal class action lawsuit, filed in September, alleged that the
city violated the American with Disabilities Act by allowing tents to
obstruct sidewalks. The plaintiffs included a caretaker and nine people
with disabilities who use wheelchairs, scooters, canes and walkers to
get around. The settlement still requires approval from the City Council
and the U.S. District Court in Portland.

The settlement comes as City Council prepares to consider new
restrictions on camping. The updates to the city's camping code would
ban camping between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. in many locations, including
sidewalks.

Mayor Ted Wheeler plans to present the ordinance Wednesday. The City
Council previously voted in November to gradually ban street camping and
create at lease six large, designated campsites where homeless people
will be allowed to camp.

Oregon's homelessness crisis has been fueled by an affordable housing
shortage, a lack of mental health treatment, high drug addiction rates
and the coronavirus pandemic.

In Multnomah County, home to Portland, there were more than 5,000 people
experiencing homelessness in 2022 — a 30 percent increase compared with
2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to federal point-in-time
count data.

In 2022, the city approved the release of $27 million in funding to pay
for new homeless camps.

At the time of the approval, Mayor Wheeler acknowledged the measure was
controversial but that he nonetheless believes in it 'very, very deeply.'

Wheeler and other supporters of the measure contend it will make streets
safer and connect homeless people with social services.

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of the city after four decades after building became a squat