SAUSALITO, Calif. (KRON) — City leaders are moving forward with new plans for a homeless camp in Sausalito that was recently cleared out.

Back in 2020, the homeless camp formed about a mile long. Six months ago, the City of Sausalito declared a state of emergency over the camp.

The camp grew and eventually, the city allowed the homeless to move to Marinship Park. They occupied the field and the tennis courts at the park, but neighbors said in recent months the camp had become a problem.

Now the city has closed the park, cleared everyone out, and is working on a plan to clean it up. Earlier this month, the City of Sausalito reached a settlement with a group representing the people who were living at Marinship Park.

In exchange for leaving, residents of the camp were given up to $18,000 each to find new housing. The camp was cleared out on August 15.

Fencing and signs have been up to keep people out. “I feel bad. I don’t know what to do to help,” said Haysa Epstein, who lives nearby.

For neighbors like Epstein, the restoration of Marinship Park is a mixed blessing. She said what had started as a good idea had become a problem, but she worries about what will happen to the people who were staying there.

“At the beginning, it was neat and clean because they had just arrived. But I walk by here every day and slowly you could see a lot of clutter and dirt and smells, and it got to a point where it was so overwhelming,” said Epstein.

It is unclear when the park and adjacent tennis courts will be reopened. The city is still working on a cleanup plan.

As for where the people of the camp went, the camp wasn’t moved to another location and about 30 people qualified for the $18,000 payments. It was up to them to decide where they would go next.