On Friday, days after a group of people living in vehicles left Winston Drive and ended up on a section of Zoo Road in front of a non-profit-run pool and rec center, San Francisco Supervisor Myrna Melgar floated a novel idea at City Hall: Reconfigure the street, let the families stay, and provide them with social services. In essence, create a long-sought-after safe parking site for RVs.
However, there are issues with implementing the proposal, which Melgar pitched to the mayor’s office and department heads. For one, the encampment is located next to the Pomeroy Recreation & Rehabilitation Center, which puts it in direct conflict with the people who rely on it, many of whom have physical and developmental disabilities.
“These RVs and cars have made it dangerous for our participants and staff to walk to the Center, posing a risk to those who commute from bus stops,” Pomeroy CEO David Dubinsky said in a letter to stakeholders. “We have reached out to both the Mayor’s Office and to Supervisor Melgar’s Office to express our concerns about the dangers posed by the RVs parked on Zoo Road.”
A memo from Melgar obtained by The Standard outlines a proposal to make the one-way, L-shaped street into a two-way cul-de-sac, with the southern end closed to through traffic.
The memo proposes a temporary parking permitting system — an idea studied for years in City Hall — that would assign a number and space to each participating family and prevent newcomers and location swaps. Single adults and couples would be forced to leave if they don’t take offers of assistance. No more than 25 families would be permitted to stay.
Garbage, water and sewage services would be provided by the city.
Given that the occupants are mostly immigrants from South and Central America, Melgar has already requested services from La Raza Community Resource Center to provide Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking staff to assist with immigration, food and social services. On Monday morning, its staff engaged 13 adults, who reported having 17 kids, nine of whom were on site.
The conversion of Zoo Road into a shelter for people living in vehicles would be the realization of a long-held vision for Melgar, who represents the city’s southwest side, and homelessness advocates. For the past few years, they have worked to earmark funding in the city’s budget for such programs and have searched alongside the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing for suitable locations for a permanent encampment.
“We desperately need a safe parking site, and we need the mayor’s office to help us set that up,” Melgar told The Standard. “This is bigger than just District 7: We need a comprehensive plan to solve the issue of people who are living in their vehicles, because otherwise, it’s just moving them around and maybe even making things worse.”
Melgar said she plans to introduce legislation in the coming months to force the creation of a city-run safe parking site on city property.
‘Doesn’t make sense’
The idea of people living in vehicles on Zoo Road, however, doesn’t work for Dubinsky. Pomeroy’s CEO wants Mayor London Breed and Melgar to find a safe place for the RV residents that’s not in front of the center.
“Somebody’s got to take a look at a map and say, ‘How do we set something up where people who have to live in their cars and RVs can live with a little bit more dignity than putting them on the side of a road like this?’” Dubinsky said. “This doesn’t make sense.”
He doesn’t think Melgar’s plan is feasible. The street simply is not wide enough, he said.
“It doesn’t work,” Dubinsky said. “Let’s use that creative spirit to come up with a plan that can actually happen.”
The 50 or so vehicles now beside the Pomeroy Center take away parking spaces used by participants in its program, many of whom require wheelchairs, and block a path from the bus stop to the entrance, forcing some to use the street. A safety officer from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which owns the property Pomeroy leases, said the generators used by the vehicle dwellers are a fire danger.
Dubinsky has been down this road before. During the pandemic, when social-distancing protocols were in effect, about 50 people lived in RVs and tents in front of Pomeroy. There was even a chop shop where a man was selling stolen vehicle parts, which was eventually shut down by police.
The mayor’s office agrees with Dubinsky — and opposes Melgar’s proposal.
“We are not pursuing any proposed permitting system for vehicles to remain on-site in the public right of way on Zoo Road or anywhere else,” said a spokesperson. “The mayor’s office is actively working with city departments, including [the Municipal Transportation Agency and Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing] on next steps for this site.”
City workers have conducted in-person outreach to offer support, housing and shelter while enforcing parking laws, according to the mayor’s office.
Last week, a group of people in 30 motor homes left Winston Drive and drove into a zoo parking lot, where they locked themselves in and stayed until police and park rangers sent them away. The majority ended up in front of the Pomeroy Center.
The SFMTA said its staff are working with city agencies to conduct outreach to the Zoo Road community while enforcing regulations with police. The agency “encourage[s] those who are experiencing homelessness to take advantage of our discount and waiver programs if they are impacted by parking limits,” spokesperson Michael Roccaforte said.
For Mario Herrera, 54, who lives in a motor home with five relatives, including two children, parking tickets can lead to the loss of his home. He likes Melgar’s plan because he would like to stay put — and he could avoid getting a $205 ticket, like he did last week.
“God willing, they let us stay here,” Herrera said through a translator. “There’s no traffic, and the street is very quiet. I hope that happens.”