Loveland Ousts Homeless Camps, Closes Natural Space to Public

While the new homeless shelter on Railroad Avenue has yet to really get underway, the City of Loveland has added tents and beds to their current shelter location. With that,  they have cleared out the encampments that gave the public the most concern.

I think most Lovelanders would have said that there were "a lot" of unauthorized encampments at the King's Crossing Natural Area, I don't think many would have said "over 50."

Above, is a photo from 2012 of where the King's Crossing Natural Area resides today. Things have changed in the area over a decade. The City of Loveland developed the 13-acre area in 2015, into a nice natural space for the public to enjoy, which many have; but homeless encampments began taking over the area, very much "ruling" King's Crossing.

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The city has been working on getting the encampments out of the area for several months, with the initiation of the unauthorized encampment ban. The city was able to put that ban in place after moving to get more beds for the homeless to use at the Loveland Resource Center, placing some homeless in local motels, and beginning the process of creating the emergency homeless encampment/shelter on Railroad Avenue.

Beginning September 30, 2022, after the removal of close to 60 unauthorized encampments, King's Crossing Natural Area is officially closed to the public until further notice. Trespassers will face penalty of law. I went over to the trailhead area on September 30 and found the cleanup company Ambipar Group on the scene.

From the Ambipar website.

Ambipar is the only company that works end to end in Environmental Management and Waste Recovery. It's got everything your business needs to take care of the planet.

According to the Reporter-Herald, cleanup operations of King's Crossing will include repairing damage to the natural grasses and plants in the area, repairing erosion damage of the banks of the Thompson River, as well as other damage. The team will also, most likely, be looking at the removal of hazardous chemicals, such as fuels and human waste, within the area, after many unauthorized campers having resided in the natural area for years. When the area reopens, the public should see the area restored to (or very close to) its original state.

Recently, there was a 1.5 acre fire in another natural area in Loveland that has had encampments, the Cottonwood Run Natural Area, north of Wilson Avenue and 1st Street. According to the Reporter-Herald, the city will begin clearing out and cleaning up Cottonwood Run.