Local

Seattle gives Ballard RV homeless encampment seven days to clear out

SEATTLE — People living in a homeless camp in Ballard are being put on notice by the city of Seattle. They have seven days to clear everything out before their vehicles are towed away.

The city put orange notices on RVs parked along Northwest Ballard Way near the intersection with Leary Way.

Neighbors and workers have told KIRO 7 they’ve been complaining about this encampment for months.

They said all the trash and gas piling up on the sidewalk was a disaster waiting to happen, so they weren’t surprised when one of these RVs went up in flames just a few days ago.

Long before the fire businesses told the city that people were being forced to walk on the street -- because of all the things piled on the sidewalks.

A KIRO 7 photographer spotted the orange notices to vacate. The City is letting people know they have until next Thursday to move.

Ballard has one of the highest concentrations of RV encampments in the city.

By law, no one living there will be forced to move unless they’re offered an alternative place to live like the coming village for tiny homes and safe RV parking in Seattle’s Interbay neighborhood.

A couple of miles north of the Ballard area is Crown Hill where there is a petition asking the city to remove sprawling RV camps and install permanent metal poles filled with concrete and chained together so no RVs can park there.