COUNCIL AGENDA: 11/08/2022ITEM: 8.1
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR ANDCITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT: SANTA TERESA VTA SAFEPARKPREFERENCE ZONE PILOT FROM: Councilmember Matt MahanMayor Sam Liccardo
DATE: 11/4/2022
Approved Date: 11/04/2022
RECOMMENDATION
Accept the staff recommendation and direct the City Manager to return to Council on November 29, 2022 aspart of the RV Parking Ordinance and Programs Evaluation report, with specific recommendations for theimplementation of a 6-month SafePark pilot program consisting of the following components:
1. Exclusive outreach to known lived-in RVs within a specified radius, such as two miles, of the SantaTeresa SafePark site for the first 30 days of the site’s operation in order to prioritize reducing theimpact of RVs on the neighboring community,2. Followed by the establishment and enforcement of an abatement zone for all lived-in RVs within aspecified radius of similar distance from the site for the duration of the pilot,3. Enforcement of a strict encampment abatement zone within a narrower radius, such as 1,000 feet, ofthe site, and4. Immediately following the conclusion of the 6-month pilot, a report to Council on the performanceof the pilot program, any recommended adjustments, and the option to extend the program.
BACKGROUND
Thank you to City staff, colleagues, and members of the community who are stewarding efforts to scalesolutions to the homelessness crisis in our city. As we work to achieve community buy-in for scalablesolutions such as EIH, BIH, and SafePark sites we should strive to provide neighborhoods with aguarantee that their on-street conditions will improve–not worsen–as a result of hosting new solutions.We know that we have a dire need for better management of the hundreds of lived-in RVs parked on ourcity streets and, as such, we propose a proactive pilot program that helps build greater community buy-infor the implementation of these solutions.
Since first proposed, hundreds of community members have expressed concerns about the potential forthis new SafePark site to make their neighborhood less safe and clean.While we have great faith inLifeMoves' expertise in operating safe parking sites, and we strongly believe that moving forward
solutions like this SafePark site is the right thing to do, we acknowledge neighbors' concern thatLifeMoves will not have any control over what happens in the immediate vicinity of the site.
Rightly or wrongly, many residents believe the site might become a "magnet" for additional RVs thatcannot be served by the site or new encampments seeking services. Neighbors worry that those who hearof the new site but do not qualify to participate in the SafePark program due to a criminal background ordrug use will end up parked in the surrounding area.
Neighbors’ concerns stem in part from the overall concentration of sites within a small radius of SanJose’s 181 square miles.Currently, fifty-five percentof the bedsprovided by our BHC’s and quick-buildapartment sites are located within a roughly one-mile radius of the VTA SafePark site. Moreover, ifapproved,D2 and D10 would additionally host two ofthe five proposed EIH expansion sites, with 200 ofthe total 300 new beds provided (67%).
Map of existing and proposed supportive housing sites with one- and two-mile radii Of course, our unhoused neighbors should have a safe place to reside and receive supportive services,host neighborhoods should feel good knowing they’re part of the solution, and that solution shouldimprove life for everyone. It is incumbent upon us to design the implementation of these solutions so thatthey provide such a win-win outcome.
In that spirit, we ask staff to assess our existing policies and available resources to bring forwardproposals for an initial exclusive outreach zone within a specified distance of the new SafePark site,followed by an abatement zone of similar size for RVs and smaller size for tent encampments. This way,residents will see a tangible improvement in their quality of life as a result of the new SafePark site. We
hope that seeing cleaner neighborhoods and being able to point to their role in addressing our overallhomelessness crisis will create support for the solutions and a stronger incentive for other neighborhoodsto embrace them.