HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Resolution 14048 (Parking Recreational Vehicles)RESOLUTION NO. 14048
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL
ESTABLISHING A PILOT PROGRAM PROHIBITING THE PARKING OF
RECREATIONAL VEHICLES AND OTHER OVERSIZED VEHICLES IN LIMITED
DESIGNATED AREAS
WHEREAS, the City Council wishes to preserve the safety and attractiveness of the
City's streets; and
WHEREAS, certain public streets in the City of San Rafael are increasingly used to
regularly or routinely park or store certain vehicles built or modified to temporarily or
permanently domicile persons or animals, such as recreational vehicles, campers, trailers,
motorhomes, and boats, hereafter referred to for convenience as "RV's"; and
WHEREAS, it has become apparent that RV's parked or stored on City streets are
increasingly being actively used for habitation purposes, despite habitation of vehicles being
prohibited by San Rafael Municipal Code Chapter 8.30; and
WHEREAS, the regular or routine parking and/or storage of RV's and other oversized
vehicles on City streets often creates driver's line of sight obstructions from intersections and
driveways, thus creating hazards to vehicular and pedestrian travel and reducing effective ingress
and egress of emergency and critical service vehicles; and
WHEREAS, the routine parking and/or storage of RV's additionally creates public
health and safety hazards due to the occurrence of illegal discharges of septic waste, wastewater,
fuels, trash or garbage from such vehicles into City streets, sewers or storm drains; and
WHEREAS, the City of San Rafael has seen an increase in the number of complaints of
traffic danger and health concerns regarding the routine or regular parking and/or storage of
RV's and oversized vehicles on public streets in certain areas of the City; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that regulating the parking of RV's and oversized
vehicles will promote the safety of public streets for motorists, pedestrians and children by
improving visibility and driving conditions, and will improve the health and safety of the entire
San Rafael community by minimizing the use of City streets and thoroughfares for the illegal
discharge of septic waste, wastewater, garbage and trash; and
WHEREAS, the City Council desires to prohibit the parking and storage of RV's and
oversized vehicles in limited designated areas within the City on a trial basis through a
temporary pilot program, to determine whether improvements to the public health and safety can
be achieved without the creation or exacerbation of other adverse impacts to the health, safety
and welfare of the San Rafael community; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that the adverse public health and safety impacts
associated with parking and/or storage of RV's and oversized vehicles are particularly acute and
disturbing on the streets surrounding Davidson Middle School, due to the large number of
children impacted, and that this area should be a priority for inclusion in a pilot program to
prohibit the parking of RV's; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that adoption of a pilot program prohibiting the
parking of RV's and oversized vehicles on limited designated City streets is categorically exempt
from environmental review pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA")
Guidelines Section 15301 concerning the operation or minor alteration of existing public
facilities involving negligible or no expansion of use.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of San
Rafael does hereby establish a pilot program prohibiting the parking of RV's on public streets in
designated areas within the City, as set forth in Exhibit 1 attached hereto and incorporated
herein. The pilot program regulations shall be enforceable in accordance with the provisions of
San Rafael Municipal Code Chapter 5.12, and vehicles violating such regulations may be
immediately removed pursuant to the authority of San Rafael Municipal Code Section 5.12.090.
I, ESTHER C. BEIRNE, Clerk of the City of San Rafael, hereby certify that the foregoing
Resolution was duly and regularly introduced and adopted at a regular meeting of the City
Council of said City held on Monday, the 21S` day of December, 2015 by the following vote, to
wit:
AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Bushey, Gamblin, McCullough & Mayor Phillips
NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None
ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS Colin
ESTHER C. BEIRNE, CITY CLERK
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JAMES B. DAVIDSON MIDDLE SCHOOL
San Rafael City Schools
Bob Marcucci, Principal
280 Woodland Avenue, San Rafael, CA 94901 415-485-2400 davidson.sres.org
September 21, 2015
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing to provide the perspective of the James B. Davidson Middle School
administration on the route to and from school along Woodland Avenue west of the
school. There are several concerns that we share with the school community as it
concerns student safety. As school administrators, keeping our students safe to,
during, and from school is priority number one.
Since I began my tenure as Davidson Principal roughly a year ago, I have received
many inquifies and/or complaints from concerned parents about the number of RV's
parked along the street leading up to the school. I have heard many stories, and
have seen for myself, the kinds of trash that get left behind or spill out onto the
sidewalk from these parked RV's. There have been occupants passed out in the front
seat and bottles of alcohol outside the cars. As I talk to students about the issue they
express (in their own words) being "creeped out" by having to walk along a narrow
sidewalk next to the open doors and windows of these RV's. Also, due to the size of
these vehicles, students who ride their bikes along that stretch of Woodland have to
unsafely go out into the street too far to get around them and into the high level of
traffic heading toward campus. We have had some close calls on the way to school
just this year. Along with the RV's, our students have to navigate through trash that
gets dumped along the sidewalk against the hill. We have seen couches and other
furniture, appliances, glass, etc. We believe that anywhere near a school is the
absolute wrong place for these overnight inhabitants to be allowed to park.
I know that all of us in this community want our young people to walk to school along
a route that instills pride in where they live and go to school. The Davidson
administration team is ready and willing to be partners in finding a solution.
Regards,
Bob Marcucci, Principal
Mary Charlesworth, Assistant Principal
Aaron Feldstein, Assistant Principal