18-19.350 Safe Parking.
a. Purpose and Intent. Safe parking provides homeless individuals and families with vehicles a safe place to temporarily park overnight in order to facilitate the transition to permanent housing. The provisions set forth in this section enable safe parking in various zoning districts in the City subject to specific performance standards and permit requirements. It is the purpose and intent of this section to provide for the orderly regulation for safe parking in the City. It is recognized that these facilities, by their very nature, have some objectionable characteristics, such as noise and traffic conflicts. In order to protect and preserve public health, safety and welfare these special regulations are necessary. These standards and requirements are intended to ensure that safe parking facilities will be compatible with surrounding uses and effective at facilitating participants’ transition to permanent housing.
b. Permit Required. The establishment of a safe parking use in various zone districts shall either require an administrative use permit from the Director or a use permit from the Planning Commission as reflected in in Table 4 of this chapter. In addition to the applicable use permit requirement, review by the Design Review Committee may be required depending upon the type of changes proposed to the parking lot and any structures intended for use in a safe parking facility.
c. Performance Standards. These standards apply to all safe parking uses.
1. The use permit is subject to review at any time and may be revoked after a hearing by the original approval body (Director, Planning Commission, or City Council) and a finding is made by that body that the use has become detrimental to the surrounding neighborhood.
2. The use/facility shall be managed by a qualified social service provider.
3. Participants must be paired with a case manager and enrolled in a self-sufficiency program to facilitate the transition to permanent housing.
4. Prospective participants shall submit to a criminal history background check. Participant exclusion shall be determined by the social service provider on a case-by-case basis.
5. Restroom, water and trash facilities shall be provided, maintained and accessible to participants during safe parking facility hours.
6. Monitoring and oversight shall be provided by the social service provider during safe parking facility hours.
7. The social service provider shall give preference to those with proof of residency in Lake County for a minimum period of six (6) months within the last two (2) years. Evidence of residency may include, but is not limited to, items such as rental agreements, mortgage, utility, hotel and medical facility bills, paystubs and intake from homeless service programs.
8. Participant vehicles shall maintain a minimum buffer of fifty (50') feet from any property that contains a residential use. Buffers less than fifty (50') feet may be permitted through the use permit application review process on a case-by-case basis when determined to be compatible with the neighborhood. Buffers greater than fifty (50') feet may be necessary for neighborhood compatibility, which will be determined on a case-by-case basis as part of the use permit review process.
9. The social service provider shall ensure that only vehicles registered in the program are parked overnight during program hours. A parking permit shall be provided to all participants to be displayed in vehicle windows in a form to be approved by the Police Chief.
10. At all times, the social service provider shall maintain a roster of the names and vehicle license numbers of each participant who is authorized to park overnight.
11. A neighborhood relations plan shall be provided for each safe parking facility location to address any complaints in a timely manner, including consistency with any adopted good neighbor policy.
12. Only participants who have entered into a written agreement with a social service provider shall be allowed to use parking spaces overnight. The written agreement between the social service provider and participant must include, but not be limited to, the following terms and conditions:
(a) Only one (1) vehicle is allowed per participant.
(b) At least one (1) participant per vehicle shall possess a current driver’s license, vehicle registration, and insurance for the vehicle that will be parked overnight. The social service provider shall keep a copy of all three (3) on record.
(c) Vehicles may only be occupied by participants and approved registered household members. Guests shall not be allowed.
(d) Participants shall not use or possess any illegal drugs or alcohol either on their person or in their vehicle.
(e) Participants shall not use or possess any weapons or firearms of any kind in program vehicles.
(f) No fires of any kind shall be permitted.
(g) No music may be played that is audible outside participants’ vehicles.
(h) No cooking or food preparation shall be performed outside of the participants’ vehicles. Cooking inside vehicles is prohibited unless the vehicle was manufactured with cooking appliances.
(i) Camping tarps or equipment beyond the participant’s vehicle are prohibited.
(j) Participants shall maintain control of animals. Animals shall be kept on a leash at all times and animal waste shall be picked up immediately and disposed of properly.
(k) Participants shall not dump sewage or other waste fluids or solids, deposit excreta outside a vehicle, or park vehicles that leak excessive fluids (i.e., gasoline, transmission or radiator fluid, or engine oil). (Ord. #248-2020, S2 (Exh. A))