Tent City 4 is expected to move to the grounds of St. Jude Catholic Church, 10526 166th Ave. NE in Redmond on April 25, staying for a period of no longer than 110 days.

On April 3, the City of Redmond issued a Temporary Use Permit to SHARE/WHEEL and St. Jude’s to allow the encampment to set up behind the church. Temporary Use Permits, covering land uses for less than six months, are issued by the city’s planning director, Rob Odle, following a review of the applicable criteria and public comments.

The permit is now in a 14-day appeal period, with 5 p.m. Friday, April 17 being the deadline for citizens to submit appeals.

Before Tent City arrived at St. Jude’s in early 2007, there was strong opposition from several neighbors on Education Hill, who feared that the encampment would attract crime and endanger public health. However, Redmond Police described the encampment’s stay as uneventful.

This time around, “it has been very quiet,” since March 2, when St. Jude’s and Share/Wheel applied for a permit, according to Steven Fischer, the city’s lead planner for the permit. The city has received a total of six e-mails and letters, expressing more support than opposition, Fischer noted.

The city code limits the number of Tent City residents to 100. Fischer said approximately 80-90 residents are anticipated.

As was the case during Tent City’s last visit to St. Jude’s, all new residents will undergo warrant and sex offender checks. Violators will be denied entrance to the encampment and reported to the Redmond Police Department.

Redmond Police will handle calls related to Tent City the same as they would respond to calls from any other city neighborhood, ranking them in order of urgency.

Tent City encampments must comply with all applicable standards of the Seattle-King County Health Department. No drugs, alcohol or weapons are permitted on the premises and no children under the age of 18 are allowed to stay overnight.

Frequently-asked questions about Tent City and its code of conduct are answered on the City of Redmond’s Web site. The Web site’s home page also provides links to the vicinity map, site plan, notice of public meeting and notice of decision regarding Tent City’s proposed return to St. Jude’s.

For more information, contact Steven Fischer at (425) 556-2432 or sfischer@redmond.gov.