Palo Alto committee adopts phased plan to address oversized vehicles, urges safe-parking expansion and enforcement

PALO ALTO — The City of Palo Alto’s Policy and Services Committee on Aug. 25 voted to advance a phased, multi-pronged plan to address the growing presence of oversized vehicles and recreational vehicles (RVs) parked on city streets and to pursue options to help people living in vehicles.

The committee approved staff’s recommended framework and added specific direction to explore expanded safe parking on private commercial lots and at congregations, to coordinate Homekey shelter openings with options for RV residents, and to study whether a future, limited program could permit oversized vehicle parking on identified nonresidential streets only after other options have been exhausted. Vice Mayor and committee chair Vicki Venker moved the staff recommendation; Council Member Stone seconded. The final motion passed unanimously after the committee amended the approach and added study elements.

Why it matters: City staff told the committee that the 2023 point‑in‑time count recorded 206 unhoused people in Palo Alto, about 88% of whom were living in vehicles, and staff said field observations suggest the number of vehicle dwellers has increased since then. Residents and business owners described safety, sanitation and access problems, while unhoused residents and advocates urged humane solutions tied to housing and jobs. Committee members said the city must balance public‑space safety with dignity and services for people living in vehicles.

Staff presentation and recommendation

City Manager Ed Shikada opened the discussion and turned the staff report over to Melissa McDonough, assistant to the city manager, who led an interdepartmental team. McDonough summarized ten possible approaches ranging from modest service expansions — more street sweeping, mobile trash pickup and pump‑outs — to regulatory steps such as a new ordinance prohibiting the for‑profit rental of public parking spaces (targeting “van lords”) and limits on inoperable or nonmotorized trailers.

McDonough told the committee that Homekey shelter capacity for Palo Alto is anticipated to open in early 2026 and that the city currently operates a safe‑parking program with 22 RV spaces at the King Road site plus 14 vehicle spaces at faith‑based sites. She said staff recommended a phased approach starting with feasible, short‑term steps and building toward pilots and location‑based policies.

"We recognize the tension between maintaining public space for all and offering dignity and stability to those living in vehicles," McDonough said.

Public comment: neighborhood, business and resident impacts

More than two dozen people spoke in a packed public comment period. Neighbors from the Ventura area described clusters of long‑term parked trailers and RVs that they said have created public‑safety hazards, obscured sidewalks and bike lanes and generated persistent trash and sewage issues. Barry Cates, speaking for the Ventura Neighbors Association, said long‑term parking is concentrated in certain blocks and has worsened over a decade.

Business owners and property managers, including representatives from Andersen Honda and Recore Medical, said parked RVs are blocking sight lines, deterring customers and creating health and safety problems. Jeanette Baldwin of Andersen Honda warned, "Someone's gonna get hurt, and it's gonna be a tragedy." Employees and tenants from multiple properties described difficulty accessing work sites and an increase in harassing behavior near parked vehicles.

Speakers with lived experience of vehicle dwelling urged humane responses focused on housing, jobs and services. Several people living in vehicles said they use RV parking to keep belongings and maintain stability and asked that city policy not criminalize unsheltered residents.

Key committee findings and directions

Committee members pressed staff on enforcement limits, towing capacity and legal constraints. Police and city legal staff explained that the two primary grounds for towing are expired vehicle registration and repeated 72‑hour parking violations; procedural requirements and limited tow‑lot capacity restrict how often vehicles can be removed. Lieutenant Cara Appel of the Police Department said towing authorities exist but towing is constrained by regional tow‑lot availability.

Members asked staff to prioritize actions that can be implemented quickly and to return with a detailed plan for the council. Specific directions incorporated into the committee’s recommendation included:

- Expand outreach, sanitation and targeted enforcement (pump‑outs, trash pickup, increased street sweeping on impacted corridors). - Return to council with options and a recommended path for expanding safe parking on commercial property and at congregational (faith‑based) sites, excluding any option that would require undedicating parkland without voter approval (staff noted adding spaces on Baylands Athletic Center would require voter action and high cost). - Draft an ordinance prohibiting the for‑profit rental of public parking (targeting “van lords”) and explore an enforcement approach for inoperable, detached trailers that occupy the public right of way. - Coordinate with LifeMoves/Homekey operators on accepting people living in vehicles when Homekey capacity becomes available, and explore supportive measures — such as vehicle buyback/storage tied to housing placement — that would encourage voluntary moves into shelter and housing. - Study a data‑driven, limited permitting or designation system (including the idea of permitted spaces tied to the point‑in‑time count) so that any decision to permit oversized vehicles on certain nonresidential streets would be pursued only after other options had been exhausted. The committee approved adding that study‑step to phase 2 by a 2‑1 vote earlier in the discussion and then approved the overall phased recommendation with the adopted changes by consensus.

Decisions and votes

The committee voted in two steps: first to add study of a limited, street‑designation approach to the phased plan (approved 2–1), and then to forward the staff‑recommended phased framework with the committee’s amendments to the full City Council (approved unanimously). Vice Mayor and committee chair Vicki Venker moved the main motion and Council Member Stone seconded. Committee members said they expect the item to return to full council for a comprehensive action when staff completes implementation details.

What staff said about data and timing

Staff noted the 2023 point‑in‑time count recorded 206 unhoused people in Palo Alto, about 88% living in vehicles, and said city and county point‑in‑time data for 2025 were pending release within weeks. Staff estimated ordinance development and review would take roughly four months from the time council gives direction, plus required readings and effective dates under city rules.

Next steps

Staff will prepare the phased approach for the full City Council, further define enforcement and permitting options, continue outreach with community partners and report back on resource estimates and timelines. Committee members asked staff to prioritize identification of potential commercial or institutional lots and to return with a clear sequence of actions that can be implemented quickly to reduce public‑safety and sanitation risks while simultaneously expanding housing‑focused options.

Ending

Committee chair Venker thanked staff and the public for a lengthy, often emotional discussion and said the item would be considered next by the full City Council. The committee closed the meeting after confirming the next Policy & Services Committee date.