An encampment has reemerged at a fenced city lot at the corner of Mercer Street and Fairview Avenue North in South Lake Union, stirring up old worries for nearby residents. The spot, tucked beside the I‑5 Mercer on-ramp, had been kept clear for years after a string of fires and violent incidents pushed city crews to sweep the corner and secure it repeatedly.
According to KOMO, a man who had lived at the site for years, identified by the outlet as Paris Alcantara, moved back into the fenced-off lot earlier this year and began setting up tents. Alcantara told KOMO, "I need a place, I don't want to be homeless anymore," and the station reports that city outreach crews have offered him shelter and other options that he has not yet accepted.
Violent history and prior fires
Local reporting has tied the corner to several serious incidents in recent years. KIRO 7 documented a massive August 2023 blaze that tore through the encampment and briefly shut down access to I‑5, while a separate report from FOX 13 Seattle detailed a suspicious death at the site in March 2023.
Arrests and trespass order
KOMO reports that the person arrested after the 2023 blaze was charged in connection with reckless burning and later trespassed from the property with an order to stay away. According to the outlet, city crews went in after repeated fires, assaults and other safety incidents at the encampment to clear the lot and secure it.
City response and shelter plans
Mayor Katie B. Wilson's office has sent legislation to the council that aims to rapidly expand shelter capacity in the city. The mayor's blog says Seattle is moving to open roughly 1,000 new units of shelter and emergency housing this year, with tiny-home villages and other interim models among the options under consideration. According to the mayor's office, outreach teams are coordinating offers of shelter and services while the city prepares sites for those new units.
Who controls the land and next steps
Previous coverage notes that the strip at Mercer and Fairview sits alongside state right-of-way, and that WSDOT typically works with the city and King County on removals and cleanup efforts, KIRO 7 reported. Neighbors told local outlets they continue to see repeated sweeps and worry the fenced parcel keeps being repopulated between cleanups.
For now, outreach teams are monitoring the fenced lot while the trespass order and any pending cases remain in effect. City officials have framed the push to open more emergency housing as an attempt to cut down on the familiar cycle of camping and clearing ahead of summer events, according to the mayor's office.
