Longterm Bus Parking in Portland.

[ladybird_bus]

So, our cutaway bus did not fit on the driveway as we'd hoped. We've had it parked on the street and have just received a tow warning. We've got 72 hours to find somewhere else for it to live.

Does anyone know of long term parking in Portland, Oregon? The absolute best would be somewhere we could actually work on it but right now, we just need to find a safe place.

Halp!

[soupy1406]

Did you find a good solution?

[ladybird_bus]

Originally Posted by soupy1406

Did you find a good solution?

Yes, but only by leaving Portland altogether.
I have a friend who found a space to work on her bus at Green Anchors in St Johns, but there's strictly no living there and someone else just told me they're not taking any more skoolies.
It's not a very friendly city for anyone looking to live outside the box.

[soupy1406]

That's awful... I've been looking at moving from the Medford area to the Portland area, but I'm finding that I'm going to have to buy a place with land to do a build out... I'm looking near Hillsboro

[ladybird_bus]

Originally Posted by soupy1406

That's awful... I've been looking at moving from the Medford area to the Portland area, but I'm finding that I'm going to have to buy a place with land to do a build out... I'm looking near Hillsboro

It's been one of the hardest aspects of my conversion! For what it's worth, if you wanted to set up a spot like Green Anchors, with space for other people to work on their skoolies, I'd be willing to bet that you could pay the mortgage on that piece of land ;)
And there are some really pretty areas out by Hillsboro (though not necessarily the town itself).

[indigo_k]

Have you talked to ADX yet? I know they had someone building a tumbleweed home in their parking lot a couple years back, I've been hoping to hit them up for space when it comes time to build my skoolie. But yeah, finding a good spot to store/build in Portland is going to be one of my first hurdles, too!

[indigo_k]

So this is me, back again to revive this topic.

I had a really uncomfortable conversation with one of my neighbors last night ("I'm just the messenger!"), coming as a Delegate from a whole group of neighbors who have apparently been complaining in a group text about my bus being parked on the street for the last six months or so. Complaints range from 'it invites homeless campers' and 'it'll increase crime in the neighborhood' to 'it's blocking the light on my planter boxes' and 'it's just so big and ugly'.

The conversation was prompted by me moving the bus from the street to my apartment's parking lot so I could reach a power outlet and use my angle grinder for a bit. I was planning to move back after I was done, but the neighbors put their vehicles into its place to keep me from going back (they all have driveways to park in, mind you, and don't need the street parking per se).

So, anyway, now my bus is in a small parking lot where my landlord has already once before told me to 'get it off the property', so I know it won't be long before he's demanding that I move it as well.

I know in both cases that the law is on my side here. The vehicle runs, is not broken down or in disrepair, my contact info is clearly visible inside the windshield so it's obviously not abandoned. Right now in PDX the police are not prioritizing vehicle crimes, so even if I'm able to move it back to the street I don't feel like I need to worry about getting a ticket or a tow warning (though the neighbors did threaten to start calling the police about the bus every day from now on if they see it parked out there again).

I just really don't want to be on the wrong foot with all these neighbors. I get it, I mean I decided I was doing this without checking with any of them first, I can see how they consider it a blight on their neighborhood. But my position is, I live here too damn it, why can't I use the street to park my vehicle just like the rest of them?

So, long story short, I'm looking again for an inexpensive place where I can park a 40' school bus while I continue working on converting it. I'm into the actual construction phase now, and I hope that I can have the project finished in about another year or so. The bus is currently not registered or insured, so a commercial RV storage facility is not an option.

Any tips or leads on a spot with a skoolie-friendly owner would be much appreciated.

[indigo_k]

...aaaaand bumping this again, because I just received a Tow Warning myself to move my bus in 72 hrs.

I can put it in my apartment's parking lot temporarily, but from dealing with my landlord I already know that is not a long-term solution.



From the outside, it's still just a basic retired school bus - 39-feet long, bright yellow, all windows and doors intact. Inside, the seats, floors, and ceiling have all been removed, a sub-floor has been installed, and it is loaded up with furniture, building materials, and tools to continue the build.



Considering that storing the bus has been a continuing issue from day one, and will continue to be a concern until the motorhome is actually livable and I can get it out of Portland, I'm seriously considering walking away from the project entirely at this point and trying to just sell the bus to recoup my costs so-far.



But until then, I thought I should try at least one more effort to find a safe place to keep it where I can continue to build it out.

[Marceps]

Thank you for having the courage to speak up. Many of us have been there:

Originally Posted by Police

Parking Violation

This vehicle has been found in violation of city ordinances and/or State Laws (unattended, abandoned, or junked vehicle) on today's date 2023-05-10.

This vehicle will be towed in 48 hours 2023-05-12.

Jack A.
Officer

This was on a bus that I deliberately moved to the opposite side of the street every day, moving up and down the street as well. If I could go back in time, I would tell myself the following things:

• The sticker's claims being false means jack-all ****.
• Police officers do not like you and will cause you trouble when possible. This includes breaking into the bus while you are inside, in an attempt to tow the bus without announcing their presence.
• On the specified tow date, every other vehicle and trailer parked in the area is going to move away for one night only, returning the next day—because they have dealt with this **** before. You should do the same. Heck, add an extra day on either end, just to be safe.

Alas, I cannot go back in time, but hopefully this helps anyone who sees this ahead of time. Even if your situation is different, it is not 100% different. Remain calm and reach out for help.

I am sorry that your neighbors are temporarily inconvenienced billionaires.