Quick Take
Santa Cruz's planning commission approved the renewal of the permit that allows the city to enforce the overnight parking ban known as the oversized vehicle ordinance for five years.
The City of Santa Cruz Planning Commission unanimously approved the renewal of a coastal development permit Thursday evening. It will allow the city to continue enforcing its oversized vehicle ordinance in the coastal zone, administer its safe parking program and make minor modifications to the ordinance in the future if needed.
The permit was set to expire May 11, and the city chose to begin the renewal process early to have enough time to get through any potential appeals before its expiration.
Director of Community Development Lee Butler said the approval allows the city to enforce the ordinance for five years, rather than one, before it needs to renew the coastal development permit again. He said staff made this decision in coordination with the California Coastal Commission to provide the city more time to make adjustments and address issues that will inevitably come up.
The ordinance endured a tumultuous path to implementation, involving about a decade of debates and arguments over the city’s approach to recreational vehicles and campers parked on streets. The California Coastal Commission blocked a previous version of the street-parking ban, and the city has seen local pushback from homeless advocates who say the legislation amounts to criminalizing homelessness, while some Westside residents have said that RVs parked along the neighborhood streets created hazardous conditions and environmental concerns.
Ordinance opponents Reggie Meisler, Jasmeen Miah and Joy Schendledecker of Santa Cruz Cares attended the meeting, and said they believe the ordinance poses a public access issue.
“That’s what you’re going to have to deal with if you try to pass this and we appeal it to the Coastal Commission,” said Meisler.
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