Pearl District Landlord Threatens to Sue City Over Homeless Shelter

A Pearl District landlord has filed a tort claim threatening to sue Portland for $5 million over an emergency homeless shelter opened last fall under Mayor Keith Wilson’s direction, alleging the facility has decreased property values and created safety issues. The landlord, who controls the nearby luxury ORO Apartments, hired private security to document drug use, tent camps, and waste around the shelter operated by the Salvation Army in a leased office building at Northwest Northrup Street and 14th Avenue. The tort claim demands the city address the alleged problems by March 15 or face a lawsuit for inverse condemnation, nuisance, and negligence.