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Tiny-house proposal gets smaller Wednesday Oct 12, 2016 at 4:06 PM Oct 12, 2016 at 5:56 PM Damian Mann Mail Tribune @reporterdm The latest tiny-house project for the homeless may be smaller, but supporters remain hopeful about a proposed deal to place it on a west Medford property owned by the city. "We just need a piece of land," said Chad McComas of Rogue Retreat, who is also a candidate for City Council.  Rogue Retreat previously looked at putting 14 houses measuring 8 by 10 feet on a city-owned property at Third and Front streets. After neighbors balked and the city sold the property, negotiations began in earnest for another city-owned property at West McAndrews Road and Columbus Avenue. "If we get 10 houses on it, I'd be surprised," McComas said. "It's a long, skinny triangle. It’s really no good to anybody, no good to the city." The council is looking at locating the tiny house community, known as Hope Village, adjacent to a service yard at 821 N. Columbus Ave. Rogue Retreat has raised more than $70,000 to build the houses, which wouldn't have electricity. City Attorney Lori Cooper said she's drafting an operating agreement patterned after a similar contract the city of Eugene has with a similar homeless village. She said an operating agreement appears to be a better arrangement than an outright lease because it reduces concerns about a landlord-tenant relationship. Cooper said she will present the operating agreement at the council's first meeting in November. Councilor Dick Gordon said he was at a League of Oregon Cities meeting recently and discovered communities that partnered with other organizations had the most success with these kinds of projects. "There are two cities that tried to do it on their own, and they failed miserably," Gordon said, declining to name the cities. Local supporters often cite the success of a similar tiny-house project in Eugene as an example of what should be done in Medford. In general, cities along the Interstate 5 corridor have the most problems with homelessness, particularly with runaways and sex trafficking, he said. Gordon said he supports using the service yard property as a pilot project, particularly if a number of organizations pitch in and help out. "I'm not sure it has the support of a majority of council members," he said. "At least three of us will support it. That's my guess." Councilors Kevin Stine and Clay Bearnson showed support previously when the project was proposed at Front Street. McComas said he's hopeful the council will throw its support behind the latest proposal. "If they finally say yes, and we get a lease, it’s going to be like Eugene and be very successful," he said. — Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow him on www.twitter.com/reporterdm.