The San Diego City Council has signed off on a contract that allows a local nonprofit to oversee a new safe parking lot for hundreds of homeless people to sleep in their cars or RVs.
Jewish Family Service will run the H Barracks project, which got its name from the H-shaped Navy barracks that once occupied the site.
Nearly 200 spots near the airport should open next month.
“The individuals and families served through the Safe Parking Program are our neighbors, and many are experiencing homelessness for the first time,” Mayor Todd Gloria said in a statement on Tuesday, shortly after the council’s unanimous vote. “Safe Parking give us a chance to intervene early.”
The City Council’s green light means the effort faces just one final hurdle: A lawsuit from a real estate developer. Critics have long argued that offering homelessness services on that land is illegal, imperils plans for a new hotel and could hurt the shops and schools in nearby Liberty Station.
McMillin-NTC, a limited liability company tied to the same group that converted Liberty Station from a military base into a bustling cultural hub, filed suit in September. The next court hearing is April 30.
H Barracks would cost San Diego about a quarter-million dollars through the end of the fiscal year in June. The annual price tag going forward is expected to be $1.6 million. Although the city faces a large deficit, the Office of the Independent Budget Analyst previously concluded that those dollar amounts were doable.
Adding 190 spots at H Barracks will nearly double the available safe parking options in the city. There is an end date, however. The land is eventually slated to become part of San Diego’s Pure Water recycling project, meaning the lot can only be open through 2029.
Safe parking sites generally come with a range of support services, including mental health care and job training, as well as basic amenities like bathrooms. A press release said mobile trailers for staffers are already on site. Officials are still adding lights to the area.
