Council Report — Mountain View City Council, June 14, 2022

DATE:

June 14, 2022
CATEGORY:

Consent
DEPT.:

City Manager’s Office

TITLE: Continuation of 24/7 Safe Parking
Program Operation for City-Secured Sites
and Authorization of Associated
Agreements, and Adoption of Resolution
Extending the Declaration of a Shelter
Crisis

RECOMMENDATION

1. Authorize the City Manager or designee to amend the lease agreement with the County of Santa Clara for the use of Shoreline Amphitheatre Lot B for safe parking, to extend the agreement through June 30, 2023.

2. Authorize the City Manager or designee to amend the lease agreement with the County of Santa Clara for the use of the Evelyn lot for safe parking to extend the agreement through June 30, 2023 and modify the 10’ fire saf ety buffer around the passenger vehicle spaces that can be used for either living or commuter parking purposes , to only be required for those spaces used for living purposes.

3. Authorize the City Manager or designee to amend the lease agreement with Terr a Bella II, LLC (an Alta Housing company), for use of the Terra Bella lot for safe parking through June 30, 2023.

4. Authorize the City Manager or designee to amend the sublease agreement with the County of Santa Clara for the use of the Terra Bella lot f or safe parking, to extend the agreement through June 30, 2023.

5. Authorize the City Manager or designee to enter into an agreement with the County of Santa Clara for the operation of safe parking sites through a contracted service provider and a case worker for Permanent Supportive Housing in a total amount not to exceed $525,000 for a one-year term beginning July 1, 2022 and ending June 30, 2023.

6. Authorize the City Manager or designee to execute an agreement with the Community Services Agency of Mountain View and Los Altos for case management/housing information and referral services through June 30, 2023, for a total agreement amount not to exceed $120,000 for Fiscal Year 2022-23.

Continuation of 24/7 Safe Parking Program Operation for City-Secured Sites and Authorization of Associated Agreements, and Adoption of Resolution Extending the Declaration of a Shelter Crisis
June 14, 2022

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7. Adopt a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Mountain View Amending Resolution No. 18301, as Amended by Resolution No. 18462, Declaring a Shelter Crisis, Extending the Duration of the Declaration Until June 30, 2024, to be read in title only, further read ing waived (Attachment 1 to the Council report).

BACKGROUND

This Council report focuses on timely actions related to the City’s safe parking program with additional attached information regarding homelessness in Mountain View and the City’s extensive homeless programs and initiatives. A more comprehensive memorandum describing needs and services was provided to Council on August 4, 2021 and is included as Attachment 2 to this Council report. Updated information will be provided in the next annual memorandum later in summer 2022.

This report recommends Council action to continue 24/7 safe parking use of the three City-secured lots (Shoreline Lot B, Evelyn, and Terra Bella), all of which are leased to the County of Santa Clara (County), which contracts with and oversees a safe parking service provider. Staff recommends an amendment to extend the lease agreement for the Terra Bella lot with the property owner, Terra Bella II, LLC (an Alta Housing company). Staff is also recommending amendments to existing agreements with the County to extend 24/7 safe parking use at these three sites and authorize the City Manager or designee to enter into an agreement with the County for safe parking operations through the contracted service provider and a case worker for Permanent Supportive Housing through June 30, 2023, for a total agreement amount not to exceed $525,000 for Fiscal Year 2022-23. Additionally, this report includes recommendations for Council to authorize the City Manager or designee to execute an agreement with the Community Services Agency (CSA) for case management/housing information and referral services through June 30, 2023, for a total agreement amount not to exceed $120,000 for Fiscal Year 2022-23.

Finally, staff also recommends Council adopt a resolution to extend the declaration of shelter crisis until June 30, 2024 (Attachment 1).

Homelessness Trends in Mountain View and Living-in-Vehicles Count

County “point-in-time” (PIT) counts have indicated that the number of individuals experiencing homelessness in Mountain View has increased , with homelessness trending up for nearly a decade. Most of the people counted were unsheltered. The County’s count considers residents living in recreational vehicles (RVs) and other vehicles as unsheltered. The 2019 count of 606 homeless individuals in Mountain View represents the latest available numbers since the County received a waiver from Hou sing and Urban Development (HUD) to postpone the next count until 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mountain View’s 2022 PIT data, along with all other City-level data as discussed below, is expected to be published in late June or early July.

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The County’s preliminary data shows that from 2019 to 2022 , the overall number of homeless people remained relatively steady , with a 3% increase Countywide. At the same time, the number of unsheltered individuals decreased by 3% Countywide.

To augment the information from the County PIT count, the City also conducts a street-by-street count of vehicles that appear to be in use for living purposes. From 2017 until 2020, the count of vehicles in the public right-of-way (PROW) used for living has ranged from 250 to 300 vehicles on average. The highest count was in July 2020 at 320 vehicles (combined on-street and in safe parking lots). Thereafter, the safe parking lots were operating 24/7 and vehicles on -site were excluded from the PROW and, instead, counted separately.

Over time, the counts reflect that more than half of the counted vehicles have been RVs. The January 2022 count of 218 vehicles reflects an increase in other types of vehicles, including vans, buses, box trucks, and unhitched trailers. While there has been both a modest decrease and a change in the types of vehicles used for living purposes in the PROW in the most recent count, the overall trend for lived -in vehicles has remained fairly consistent. Though the numbers are down in some of the on-street counts, the challenges and factors that may result in living in vehicles remain.

Homelessness and Housing Services

For the past six years, the City has been studying and taking action to address the challenging rise in homelessness and unstably housed individuals. Today, the City is a recognized leader in addressing this regional problem, looking at all options and forging strong partnerships with the County of Santa Clara and many community-based organizations. Further details and associated Council reports are available at www.mountainview.gov/homeless.

Based on Council direction, staff aimed early on to connect with the Countywide system to leverage resources and expand public and private partnerships to address the needs of those who live in vehicles and others experiencing or at risk for homelessness i n Mountain View. The needs and services related to homelessness can be viewed within a continuum for “coordinated care,” which includes Homelessness Prevention, Rapid Rehousing, and Permanent Supportive Housing. Highlights of key City actions to increase housing options along the continuum are summarized below.

• LifeMoves Mountain View (Project Home key), which added 100 units of interim housing serving 88 individuals and 12 families experiencing homelessness seeking a path to more stable options.

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• Safe Parking Program Lots, with capacity of up to 101 parking spaces, currently serving on average approximately 130 to 150 individuals.

• Emergency Sheltering, with capacity of 65 beds (includes partial-year cold-weather season).

Modifications were made to capacity due to COVID-19 restrictions.

• Crestview Hotel, including approximately 48 supportive units for families being explored with the County of Santa Clara to serve unstably housed people.

• Affordable Housing Units , including 1,628 existing affordable housing units and eight affordable housing projects in various stages of development, which would add 813 units to the City's affordable housing inventory.

Safe Parking Background

The City began exploring safe parking in 2015, at whic h time there were no responders to the City’s Request for Proposals for a safe parking operator. Since then, the City has been working actively to form partnerships, encourage regional solutions, and put in place policies and programs in an arena where be st practices are still evolving and the level of need far outstrips what any one entity can do on its own. As a result of these consistent efforts, the City has been instrumental in: supporting the formation of a local, nonprofit safe parking provider (M OVE Mountain View); helping to launch small safe parking programs at faith-based locations; adopting a Safe Parking Ordinance to facilitate the creation of safe parking locations on private lots; securing three dedicated safe parking lots; partnering with the County to provide safe parking and a range of other services to support unstably housed residents on a path to permanent housing; and growing to become the largest safe parking provider in the region with the capacity for up to 101 vehicles (includes faith-based lots).

Associated Safe Parking Outreach Initiatives

A big part of the City’s preliminary work in this space included significant engagement with the faith community for consideration of their support for hosting safe parking on their lots. Two meetings of the faith community were held in April 2017 and October 2017 to address the growing need for assistance in serving the unhoused in Mountain View. Supervisor Simitian continued to foster these efforts developing the “Mountain View Ar ea Faith Collaborative.” In addition, the City of Mountain View Human Relations Commission Subcommittee also worked on the safe parking initiative to try and secure private lots for over a year, and the Subcommittee completed its work at the end of last fiscal year.

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City Safe Parking Ordinance

Adopted on September 24, 2019, the City’s Safe Parking Ordinance (Ordinance) sets forth regulations for safe parking facilities to meet basic health and safety requirements, facilitate participants’ transitions to p ermanent housing, and promote compatibility with surrounding uses. These regulations include the provision of restrooms, water, and trash facilities; a black/graywater disposal plan; minimum 10’ clearance distance between vehicles used for living to addre ss fire safety issues; and a minimum 25’ buffer from residential property lines. The Ordinance established hours of lot operation of 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. and lot capacity at 30 vehicles (which was recommended as consistent with the size of safe parking operations in the County, operator capacity to assist participants, and resources available to manage the sites).

The Ordinance also sets forth the process for establishing safe parking facilities, requiring a Temporary Use Permit (TUP) and Police Department administrative permit. During a declared shelter crisis, such as is currently in place in Mountain View throug h June 2022, the approval process is streamlined, and a TUP is not required. While the Ordinance does not apply to City - owned or -controlled property, the City has chosen to comply with the Ordinance with some limited exceptions related to the extension of lot hours to 24/7, capacity, and other adjustments that have provided an increased service level for health and safety, such as running water related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shelter Crisis Resolution

The City Council adopted a resolution declaring a shelter crisis in March 2019 , which was extended on June 9, 2020, with an expiration date of June 30, 2022. This declaration has provided the City more opportunity and flexibility to work with the County and community -based organizations to assist individuals experiencing homelessness, particularly in creating safe parking lots for individuals living in vehicles . Staff recommended the adoption of a resolution declaring a shelter crisis in Mountain View to enable potential assistance with transitional housing strategies or future grant opportunities. Staff noted at the time that an extension of the declaration would be considered in response to an ongoing homelessness crisis.

Since the original declaration in March 2019 and extension adopted in June 2020 , there have been many enhancements to increase housing options along the continuum, as discussed in the Background section above and discussed in depth in Attachment 2 . Nevertheless, the need for temporary sheltering remains great in Mountain View as well as across the County and State.

Thus, the findings from the existing emergency shelter declaration remain applicable as discussed in the next section of this report.

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City-Secured Lots

The City has been instrumental in securing three lots for the provision of safe parking at Shoreline Amphitheatre Lot B, which is owned by the City but leased to Live Nation, du ring the concert season; Evelyn Avenue, which is leased from the Valley Transit Authority (VTA); and Terra Bella Avenue, which is leased from Terra Bella II, LLC (an Alta Housing company). The City has taken the lead in identifying and negotiating the use of these lots, funding lot preparation, providing funding for safe parking services, and identifying opportunities for increasing vehicle capacity on the sites. The current capacity of the lots (including the faith-based lots) is summarized in Table 1 below.

Table 1: Existing Safe Parking Lot Capacity

Lot Planning Zone Vehicle Type Capacity
(Living Spaces are noted
in bold)
Alta Housing
(formerly PAHC)
General Industrial
(MM)
Oversized vehicles
(OVs) with some
passenger vehicles
9 OVs
Shoreline Lot B
(on Crittenden Lane)
Public Facility (PF) OVs with some
passenger vehicles
29 OVs
4 passenger vehicles*
(*Not in use—being
repainted)
Two Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA)
commuter vehicles
Two loading zone spaces
Evelyn Lot
(former VTA
parking lot)
General Industrial
(MM)
OVs with some
passenger vehicles
30 OVs
21 flex spaces (for living
in or commuter parking
for passenger vehicles)
17 commuter vehicle
spaces (including two
ADA spaces)
Two loading zone spaces
St. Timothy’s Lot
(faith)
*On hiatus
Single-Family
Residential (R-1)
Passenger vehicles 4
Lord’s Grace (faith) North Bayshore Precise
Plan (P-39)
Passenger vehicles 4

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County Agreements for 24/7 Safe Parking

In March 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic and emergency and public health orders to Shelter- in-Place, the need for safe parking became even more urgent. Through a series of actions on February 25, March 17, and March 27, 2020, the City Council approved various lease and funding agreements for the Cou nty to administer 24/7 safe parking services at all three lots. This was further extended on September 8, 2020 , with Council actions that authorized 24/7 safe parking operation on a temporary basis through an adopted resolution and made a number of other modifications to increase passenger vehicle spaces for a mix of commuter parking and living on City-owned or -controlled lots. On June 8, 2021, Council authorized extensions of the 24/7 safe parking contracts with the County and a new lease agreement with Terra Bella II, LLC, for the Terra Bella lot along with a sublease to the County for safe parking operations. This has led to full utilization for oversized vehicles of the City safe parking sites consistently for over two years.

ANALYSIS

Safe Parking Program Status

The following sections provide information about the people who are participating in the City’s safe parking program, including the number of participants compared to the sites’ capacity, the number of participants in each of the City’s preference areas, and the housing outcomes for those people who have left the program. Additional demographic and income data is included in Attachment 3 for the reporting period July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. New fiscal year data will be available and included in the third Homeless Initiatives Memo—Update in summer 2022.

Capacity Utilization

The sites that are in operation are at or are near capacity currently with an average over time of 130 to 150 unduplicated participants living in 80 vehicles. A majority of the part icipants are families and are residing in oversized vehicles, such as RVs. The data included in Attachment 3 provides demographic details from the County assessments completed by the heads of household.

The chart in Figure 1 below shows the number of par ticipants and percent of space capacity utilized at the City -secured and faith-based sites. The counts are based on use as of April 2022 and do not include one of the two faith-based programs, which has been on hiatus.

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Figure 1: Participant and Capacity Utilization (April 2022)

City Preference Areas

The City’s preferences for safe parking are to serve people who have lived and worked in Mountain View, who have students in Mountain View schools, who are seniors, or who are disabled. Figure 2 below shows the number of participants in each of these priority areas during the period of July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. These numbers are based on data from the qualifying applications, not a census. There may be duplication across the preference areas and across the sites as some may have stayed in more than one lot during the reporting period.

_____________________
NOTE: Data reported by vehicle unit as some participants fall into more than one category.

Figure 2: City Preferences Data by Vehicle Unit for the Period July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 49 62
5 12 4
97% 98%
57%
100% 100%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
Shoreline Evelyn (OVs) Evelyn
(Passenger
Vehicles)
Terra Bella Faith Lots
Total Participants Capacity Utilization
13 20
55 24
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 Families with
students in MV
school districts
Live/work in MV Seniors (55+ years
and above)
The disabled
Continuation of 24/7 Safe Parking Program Operation for City-Secured Sites and Authorization of Associated Agreements, and Adoption of Resolution Extending the Declaration of a Shelter Crisis
June 14, 2022

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Assessments and Exit Data

The intention of the safe parking model is to provide a pathway to housing through intensive case management. The mission of MOVE Mountain View (the operator of sa fe parking in Mountain View) is to provide safety and continuity of place for those living in their vehicles. They note that, for some, safe parking is a safe way to reenter into a community after living in isolation. For others, with the assistance of case managers, clients learn to set obtainable goals that will lead toward permanent housing.

All households (vehicle units) complete a standard assessment known as the Vulnerability Index- Service Prioritization Decision Assessment Tool (VI -SPDAT), which is entered into the County’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). This assessment generates scores that determine eligibility for Permanent Supportive Housing, Rapid Rehousing, or minimal intervention (scales vary for individuals and families with children), in that order.

The County sets a target of 30% placement to permanent housing for emergency and temporary programs, such as safe parking. The goal is to get clients into the community queue for services and to transition to other housing options along the housing continuum. As clients move along the continuum, success rates and placement rates continue to rise. Progress along this continuum is dependent on the availability of housing—which has been and c ontinues to be limited, especially as it relates to meeting the demand for extremely low-income housing.

Overall, COVID-19 has affected Countywide housing exit rates during this reporting period due to the Shelter-in-Place Order, where many resources and opportunities were not available, and employment has been negatively impacted. For the most recent reporting period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021, 52 households exited the safe parking program , and their exit destinations are summarized in Figure 3 below. The average length of stay for the 52 households in the City’s safe parking program was approximately 287 days.

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__________________
* Note: Refers to a vehicle, an abandoned building, bus/train/subway station/airport, or anywhere outside.

Figure 3: Participants’ Exit Destinations for the Period July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021

Recommended Council Actions

One-Year Extension to 24/7 Safe Parking Program Term

The need for safe parking has continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and is expected to continue through surges and into the recovery/transition period due to the pandemic’s impact on economic stability and housing security for Mountain View’s vulnerable populations. In addition, staff has observed several benefits of 24/7 operations at the City -secured lots. These full-time hours allow access to water, medical services, showers, and hygiene services, which continue to be essential, and also provide more effective on -site access to case managers. Furthermore, by not requiring safe parking vehicles to leave the sites during the day, these vehicles are not relocated to City streets, and participants can experience more consistency and stability to help them move onto the next steps on their path to housing. Since these City-secured lots do not have daytime uses, there is not an impact on availability of parking for other needs.

The continuation of 24/7 safe parking at City -secured lots will require amendments to existing agreements for the Shoreline Lot B, Evelyn lot, and Terra Bella lot. The continued use of the Terra Bella lot requires an amendment to the lease agreement with Terra Bella II, LLC , to extend the lease term for the Terra Bella lot until June 30, 2023. This action is included in staff’s recommendations.

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In addition, s taff recommends that the Cit y Council authorize the City Manager or designee to execute an amendment to the no -cost lease agreements with the County to extend their use of Shoreline Lot B, the Evelyn lot, and the Terra Bella lot for a 24/7 safe parking program until June 30, 2023, under existing terms, with an additional amendment to the agreement related to the Evelyn lot to modify the 10’ fire-safety buffer around the passenger vehicles spaces that can be used for either living or commuter parking purposes to only be required for those spaces used for living purposes. This increases the potential total capacity of the Evelyn lot for passenger vehicles used for commuter parking.

The City executed a long -term lease with the VTA for use of the Evelyn lot in September 2021 , and no further action is required for continuing safe parking operations at this site.

Funding Agreement with the County of Santa Clara

The Fiscal Year 2022 -23 Recommended Budget includes $400,000 to fund 24/7 safe parking services, which is at a simila r funding level as in the Fiscal Year 2021 -22 Budget. This funding amount includes case management for all safe parking participants. The agreement with the County will provide for operations through a contracted provider ( the current provider is MOVE Mountain View). The Recommended Budget also includes continued funding in the amount of $125,000 for a case worker for permanent supportive housing for the chronically homeless. Staff recommends Council authorize the City Manager or designee to enter into a funding agreement with the County in the amount of $525,000 for these services through June 30, 2023.

Funding Agreement with the Community Services Agency of Mountain View and Los Altos

Since 2017, the City has contributed $60,000 each year , which was matched by the County through a revenue -share agreement for case management services provided by CSA. The combined $120,000 provided funding for a percentage of three CSA case management staff salaries. Due to County procurement limitations, t he $60,000 matching grant is not available going forward from Fiscal Year 2022-23. To maintain service levels of housing problem -solving and referral and case management services through June 30, 2023 , s taff recommends an agreement with CSA to include continued City funding of $60,000 , with an additional $60,000 commitment from the City, to be funded from the grant provided to the City by Destination Home for a total of $120,000. Through the Fiscal Year 2022-23 revenue-share agreement, the County continues to provide significant funding for safe parking and other continuum of care services.

Amendment for Extension of Shelter Crisis Resolution

A shelter crisis declaration authorizes the provision of emergency housing on City -owned or -controlled property and suspends State and local housing, health, and safety standards to the Continuation of 24/7 Safe Parking Program Operation for City-Secured Sites and Authorization of Associated Agreements, and Adoption of Resolution Extending the Declaration of a Shelter Crisis
June 14, 2022

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extent that strict compliance would hinder mitigation of the shelter crisis. The City may, in place of such standards, enact municipal health and safety standards to apply during the shelter crisis so long as minimal public health and safety standards are met. In addition, State law provides immunity to the City from ordinary negligence in the provision of emergency housing.

Based on the large gap in available shelter or safe parking spaces relative to the number of unsheltered and unstably housed individuals in the community, staff recommends that Council extend the shelter crisis declaration until June 30, 2024 . This provides additional time to make progress in addressing this regional challenge and for the next County PIT homelessness count to be completed, thus providing the City with additional information regarding the level of homelessness in Mountain View and the progress of its programs and partnerships with the County and community-based organizations. The continuation of the declaration will enable the continuation of a streamlined process for the potential exp ansion of safe parking sites since , when a shelter crisis is declared, only a Police Department permit is required with an exemption from the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) process.

Considerations for Potential Future Expansion of Safe Parking Capacity

During past Council discussions of the City’s safe parking program, questions have been raised as to whether it would be possible to expand the number of spaces available. As noted above, capacity was increased through Council action at its September 8, 2020 meeting, exhausting the measures that could be easily taken to increase capacity. As further described below, the range of issues that would need to be considered in reexamining the potential to increase lot capacity include:

• Renegotiating contract terms with Live Nation for additional space at Shoreline Lot B;

• Assessing the off -site parking needs of LifeMoves MountainView currently using part of Shoreline Lot B;

• Seeking regulatory approval of an amendment to the Post-Closure Maintenance Plan for the closed landfill;

• Reviewing the Evelyn lot for possible redesign; and

• Funding and amending contracts for safe parking and related services.

If it is of interest to the Council, given the magnitude of staff and funding resources that would be required, a project to explore expansion of safe parking spaces could be considered as part of the next biannual Council work plan process, which will commence in February 2023.

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Staff notes that t he potential for additional capacity would be considered in the context of the time horizons anticipated for the current safe parking sites. This includes the effort to maintain current safe parking capacity when Alta Housing begins the development of aff ordable housing at the Terra Bella site and those nine safe parking spaces are no longer available. Staff’s intent is to maintain current overall program capacity for as long as possible, with the Shoreline and Evelyn lots estimated to be available for safe parking use through 2025.

Staff further notes that the Council Work Plan priority project to develop a Homelessness Response Strategy will provide important additional direction regarding the role of safe parking as an interim solution and as part of the range of efforts to provide stable housing for Mountain View residents.

Live Nation Shoreline Lot Contractual Terms

As noted in the Background section of this report, Live Nation has contractual rights to use lots at Shoreline Amphitheatre for event parking. In 2019, the City first negotiated with Live Nation to secure portions of Lot B for a safe parking site . Originally, the use of the lot was limited to 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. during the break in the Shoreline Amphitheatre event schedule. The City further negotiated with Live Nation twice in 2020 to extend use of the safe parking lot to be year- round and 24/7 and for the use of additional space in Lot B for the parking of the vehicles of LifeMoves Mountain View residents due to the limited parking at the site on Leghorn Street.

During these negotiations, the City secured use of the Shoreline lot through December 2025. This last action, taken in 2021, was based on Council feedback at its December 8, 2020 meeting asking staff to work with Live Nation for additional opportunities associated with parking to assist homeless needs.

During staff’s many discussions with Live Nation, Live Nation has asked the City to stay close to the “existing footprint ,” stating the need to retain space f or event parking . At this point, staff does not have any indication that Live Nation will be open to adding more spaces beyond what they provided in 2021.

LifeMoves Lease of a Portion of Shoreline Lot B

When Council provided direction regarding the use of Shoreline Lot B for parking associated with LifeMoves Mountain View , Council provided staff with flexibility to focus first on this priority need, with the option to relook at the additional space secured at Lot B for future safe parking.

At this time, LifeMoves is using , on average, less than one-third of the 34 spaces in Lot B as off - site parking. Their current agreement is through December 2022. Staff will continue to monitor use of these spaces, including the progress and impact of bringing on board a new parking lot on Leghorn Street to serve residents of LifeMoves Mountain View, to assess the need for the off-site Continuation of 24/7 Safe Parking Program Operation for City-Secured Sites and Authorization of Associated Agreements, and Adoption of Resolution Extending the Declaration of a Shelter Crisis
June 14, 2022

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parking location. If the spots are no longer needed for LifeMoves Mountain View and are converted to the parking of oversized vehicles used for living purposes, staff estimates that 11 spaces, with the required 10’ fire safety buffers, could be gained.

Postclosure Landfill Environmental Regulations

In order to use Shoreline Lot B for safe parking, the City was required to apply for an amendment to the City’s Postclosure Maintenance Plan for the closed landfill at that site as safe parking (living in a vehicle) was not a designated use for the parking lot. The City is currently only permitted for the current program scope. To expand the number of vehicles used for living purposes on this site, it would be necessary to seek another amendment. This would require significant staff time across various City departments and would take an estimated six months. The City would also be required to monitor landfill gas at each safe parking vehicle as is being done with current safe parking vehicles on Shoreline Lot B.

Assessment of Evelyn Lot for Redesign

In September 2020, Council approved a redesign of the Evelyn lot to provide for the parking of safe parking resident commuter vehicles in order to reduce the on-street parking impact to nearby businesses. Staff could assess a possible redesign of the site to convert commuter vehicle parking to parking for living purposes, to change the vehicle mix, remove trees, restripe the lot, and make other infrastructure changes t o increase the number of spaces. This work would require temporary relocation of existing clients.

Service Contract Funding and Amendments

As seen in the recommendations associated with this report , there are many different agreements and leases that enable the operation of the current safe parking program. This includes agreements with the County, which specify both County and City funding of safe parking and continuum of housing services. Additional funding from both agencies would be needed to serve additional safe parking participants. Increased funding and an amended agreement would also be needed to expand t he case management services provided by CSA. Any changes to the design or parameters of the safe parking lots would require that the City’s leases with the County be amended.

FISCAL IMPACT

City funds in the amount of $645,000 are included in the Fiscal Year 2022 -23 Recommended Budget. The fundin g is from several sources , including the General Housing Fund , which also includes a portion of a grant from Destination: Home ($60,000) and Limited-Period Funds.

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There is no direct fiscal impact from extending the shelter crisis declaration. Associated projects to provide additional sheltering or safe parking options pursuant to further Council direction may require additional funds.

CONCLUSION

This report recommends a variety of actions needed to extend the duration of the cu rrent safe parking program. It also provides background information on the development and scope of the safe parking program; current data on capacity utilization through April 2022; Fiscal Year 2020-21 data regarding safe parking program participants and outcomes (with Fiscal Year 2021-22 data to be shared in the third annual Homelessness Initiative Memo in summer 2022); and considerations for potential expansion of safe parking capacity, a project which Council could consider as part of its next biannual goal-setting and project prioritization process starting in February 2023.

ALTERNATIVES

1. Do not approve the staff recommendation.

2. Modify one or more staff recommendations.

3. Provide other direction to staff.

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PUBLIC NOTICING

Agenda posting, web and social media advisories, and a copy of the report was sent to Santa Clara County representatives, CSA, MOVE Mountain View, Alta Housing, Live Nation, Destination:

Home, and other community-based organizations and stakeholder group members, shared with the safe parking lots via the operator, and, as feasible, others who have corresponded with the City Manager’s Office on this topic.

Prepared by:

Kimberly S. Thomas
Assistant to the City Manager

Parneet Dhindsa
Human Services Manager

Harsha Ramchandani
Management Analyst
Approved by:

Audrey Seymour Ramberg
Assistant City Manager/
Chief Operating Officer

KST-PD-HR/6/CAM
609-06-14-22CR
202000

Attachments: 1. Resolution to Extend Declaration of Shelter Crisis

2. Homeless Initiatives Memo—Update as of August 4, 2021

3. Safe Parking Participant Demographic Data

Mountain View City CouncilJune 14, 2022

Mountain View City Council
June 14, 2022