Washoe County Safe Campus

In May of 2021, DOWL was contracted by Washoe County to design a safe camping location for unhoused people, to be built at Governor’s Bowl adjacent to the recently built Nevada CARES Campus (NCC). The NCC provides shelter for approximately 630 unhoused people, however many are resistant to staying in the shelter, which led to a need for a location to allow people who have been displaced from illegal camping inside city limits. The new facility allows camping spaces for 50 tents or pods, restrooms, a structure for warming, and a security building.

Washoe Safe Camp went through several iterations with the input of the Washoe County Human Services agency. In late September, when the design was nearing completion, the County imported approximately 25,000 cubic yards of soil, which drastically changed the site and nearly doubled the amount of usable space.

DOWL completed the survey, civil, electrical, utility, and landscaping site design. The scope of work included preparing alternative site layouts for County review and selection in both the initial design and the subsequent redesign. Site improvements included an extension of 7th Street through the site, Americans with Disabilities Act-access into the bowl, parking, and building layout.