PHOENIX — Phoenix City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve a five-and-a-half acre urban campground for unsheltered residents.
The campground will be located near the corner of 15th Avenue and Jackson Street. During the meeting, council members said the goal is get an outdoor space open as soon as possible.
The space will include restrooms, showers and a cooling area where people can get some relief from the heat. There will also be security onsite.
The motion passed, 9-0.
Earlier Wednesday, a judge ordered the City of Phoenix to clean up its largest homeless encampment known as 'The Zone,' which spans from roughly 9th and 15th Avenues from Jefferson to Jackson streets in downtown Phoenix, blocks away from the state capitol.
In a count last week, the population in the encampment area dipped below 500 for the first time in several months. At its peak, the population in "The Zone" was more than 1,000 people living on the streets.
It's unclear how the new campsite will impact the cleanup.
Sivan Plotkin contributed to the reporting of this story.
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The Zone
12News offers the latest updates on one of the largest homeless encampments in Maricopa County.