Cupertino to ban RV parking on city streets

Cupertino has become the latest Bay Area city to ban RVs and oversized vehicles from parking overnight on city streets a new ordinance that multiple believe will help alleviate nuisance areas while others have expressed concern about those displaced Despite arguments by certain councilmembers that the city had not conducted enough outreach to alert those who will be displaced by the new restrictions a large number of thought the ban was long overdue We re having a challenge which every city is having mentioned Councilmember Ray Wang in an interview asserting that Cupertino has seen an influx in RVs as nearby cities have enacted restrictions on parking for RVs and oversized vehicles If you re the last city with a ban you re the one left holding the bag In the present the city has a -hour limit for vehicles parking on constituents streets though vehicles were only required to move six inches to avoid a violation commented Cupertino Mayor Liang Chao in an email This is a loophole in the current law that we must fix Even though municipal law already restricts sleeping in vehicles according to Cupertino Interim City Attorney Floy Andrews certain RV residents had parked on streets permanently clustering in two locations in the city triggering residents to voice concerns about safety and congestion The issue with the current ordinance is that it allows the vehicles to park substantially and indefinitely day and night commented Andrews at a September meeting This creates a nuisance It impacts residents and businesses It fails to prevent individuals from living in vehicles After months of deliberation the City Council settled on prohibiting oversized vehicles such as RVs and campers from parking on constituents streets citywide from p m to a m Cupertino households are allowed free permits annually which would be obtained online and allow permit holders to park a motorcycle on city streets for hours Additionally the program would ban vanlording renting out vehicles like RVs and vans for human habitation With the move Cupertino joins several other cities throughout the Bay Area with RV parking restrictions Late last year Fremont passed an RV parking ban that required vehicles to move ft every hours In San Jose the city is creating dozens of tow-away zones throughout the year focusing on areas with high complaints Mountain View passed parking restrictions for oversized vehicles but after a lawsuit settlement in had to designate over three miles of streets where oversize bus parking was allowed The new Cupertino ordinance bans all overnight parking for oversized vehicles without a permit and does not designate any areas in the city that are exempt from the ban While the city has a safe parking plan for cars there is not a similar undertaking for RVs and oversized vehicles Although particular residents and councilmembers who spoke at the council meetings mentioned that RV restrictions in other cities had pushed people into Cupertino others expressed concern that various of those living in RVs might be people working and attending schools in Cupertino Chao noted that given the high cost of housing in Cupertino certain who work in the city might choose to live in RVs Councilmember J R Fruen acknowledged while specific living in RVs might not be in dire need multiple are likely members of the Cupertino population down on their luck and might be families whose children attend school in the city It s very clear that we haven t done the outreach on this situation to ensure we re not constructing a Cupertino of cruelty and to ensure that the streets will be cleaner and safer for all concerned stated Fruen in an interview I think the inhabitants has the right to its right-of-way but we also have to ensure that the people that are majority vulnerable there aren t swept away At an earlier City Council hearing on the issue Fruen required that along with the ban the city create a plan of outreach to those living in the RVs to connect people there with services The ban passed unanimously Tuesday and will go into effect in a month City staff expect the approach to cost in the first year due to expenses associated with the online permitting system and new street signs communicating the ban a process that may take months to roll out After a year the City Council will return to the ordinance to assess its impact Any strategy is an evolving process commented Chao in an email The council has adopted a version that we think make the greater part sense at this time and we will review its effectiveness and its impact after one year