Mountain View plans expansion of Shoreline RV parking program

For years, Mountain View has invested in a safe parking program to support residents living in vehicles. This summer, the city is planning to increase the number of safe parking spaces near Shoreline Amphitheatre to make up for the loss of spots elsewhere in the city.

The City Council unanimously approved a staff recommendation Tuesday to add 47 spots for oversized vehicles at Shoreline Lot B, plus up to another 88 spaces for commuter vehicles, which are cars that people use to travel to other places but do not live in.

In total, Shoreline Lot B will now be able to fit 93 oversized vehicles and up to 111 commuter vehicles. The increase in capacity roughly doubles the city’s operating costs from $700,000 to nearly $1.4 million, not including a one-time cost to prepare the site of approximately $491,000, according to the March 24 staff report.

Separately, Santa Clara County expects to spend roughly $126,000 on its own site preparations, which Mountain View will reimburse, city spokesperson Lenka Wright said.

While councilmembers supported the Shoreline lot expansion, John McAlister expressed concerns about the escalating cost of the program, noting that it was originally set up as a temporary arrangement to help people transition into more stable housing.

“It seems to be growing and using more funds,” McAlister said, questioning whether it was the best use of the city’s money.

According to city staff, the average length of stay for residents using the safe parking program in the 2024-25 fiscal year was 599 days, a figure that troubled McAlister.

Several councilmembers agreed with McAlister that safe parking sites were not meant to be a permanent solution. However, they noted the program had broad support from the community. It appeals to people who want to help residents struggling with affordable housing, as well as those who want to get RVs off the streets, Councilmember Pat Showalter said.

Mayor Emily Ann Ramos linked the safe parking program to the region’s housing crisis. The program is just one tool to try and address homelessness, she said, adding that the real answer is building more housing at all levels of affordability.

“It’s not an ideal situation for people to be living in their vehicles,” Ramos said. “But at this point, this is the tool that we have until we get the housing that they need.”

Increasing safe parking capacity at Shoreline

The plan to increase capacity at Lot B stems from the imminent closure of a safe parking site at 87 E. Evelyn Ave., a former VTA light rail lot. The site accommodates 30 oversized vehicles and 21 “flex” spaces that can be used for living or commuting vehicles. However, the lot is slated to close at the end of August. Affirmed Housing, a nonprofit developer, plans to construct a multifamily apartment complex for low-income residents on the site.

Separately, a safe parking lot at 1020 Terra Bella that had capacity for nine oversized vehicles closed over a year ago. The site is also slated for an affordable housing development.

To make room for the additional safe parking at Lot B, the city is amending its contract with Live Nation, which leases the lot for event parking at Shoreline Amphitheatre. The amended agreement will allow the city the use of additional parking spaces until the end of 2030, according to the staff report.

The city also plans to amend its contract with Santa Clara County. The county helps run the safe parking program, including selecting the service provider, Move Mountain View, a local nonprofit that manages the site. The county will not increase its level of funding for the program, which is approximately $1.6 million, the report said.

Currently, Lot B has spots for 46 oversized vehicles and up to 23 commuter vehicles. The city intends to increase the capacity to 93 oversized vehicles and up to 111 commuter vehicles. This increase will occur in two phases. The first phase will add at least 30 oversized and up to 18 commuter vehicles spaces by July 2026, ahead of the Evelyn Lot closure. The second phase will add 17 more spots for oversized vehicles and up to 70 additional spaces for commuter vehicles, according to the staff report.

With this expansion, Lot B will become the single largest safe parking lot operated by the county, the report said.

“We’ve hoped that some public parking lot owners would step up and help us out, and that just hasn’t come to pass,” Showalter said. “So we need to take advantage of the land that we control, and that’s what we’re doing here.”

In addition to Lot B, two churches in Mountain View take part in the safe parking program: St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church on Grant Road and Lord’s Grace Christian Church on San Antonio Road. Each site offers space for four overnight passenger vehicles.

This story originally appeared in the Mountain View Voice. Emily Margaretten joined the Mountain View Voice in 2023 as a reporter covering City Hall.