A judge on Monday granted a request from downtown business owners to stop a city-run homeless camp from moving forward — but only after the camp opened and dozens moved in.
The four anonymous business owners sued the city last week, arguing the city’s plan for a camp violated its own ordinance on emergency housing facilities. They wanted a judge to block the construction and opening of the camp.
On Monday, Thurston County Superior Court Judge James Dixon granted the motion for a temporary restraining order. That was expected to go into effect Monday afternoon, and Dixon said people already on the site by then could stay.
The camp — which the city is calling a mitigation site meant to address the growing number of tents downtown — opened Monday morning on a city-owned parking lot at Olympia Avenue Northeast and Franklin Street Northeast.
