"On Friday the San Diego City Council will decide what changes need to be made to Mayor Todd Gloria's proposed budget. One of the items that's on the list transforming this space into a temporary safe parking lot. But the plans have been met with heavy opposition."
A crowd of people with signs in hand, standing and yelling from the opposite side of the fence, as Mayor Todd Gloria and other City leaders gathered at the H Barricks site in Point Loma near the San Diego International Airport, pushing for the creation of a temporary safe parking site. Until the land is transformed into a Pure Water Treatment Facility.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria says, “ If we have city owned assets that are not being utilized we need to put them to work.”
This is just one part of the Mayor’s plans to earmark more than $200 Million in the proposed budget to tackle housing and homelessness.
This site would allow the unhouses to sleep in their cars, while connecting them with resource they need to find permanent housing.
Gloria adds, “And that doesn't just help the unsheltered individuals.
It helps the thousands fo sheltered people who contact he city complaining about encampments if you want to complain about what we need to have a solution. And this is a solution.”
But some Point Loma residents we spoke to say it’s not the safe parking site they have issues with. It’s what’s written in the permit application, which they say leaves the possibility open to using this site as a mega shelter which they don’t agree with.
Mike Alford, a resident in Point Loma says, “This is not going to be a temporary measure it's going to be here for a long time and it's going to be a situation where they're going to be cramming in a lot of people in a small amount of space. It's about having a good plan that will work for the community and homeless community we want a compassionate solution to help people but aqeuatle to keep th ecomuntiy safe and protected.”
ABC 10News reached out to the City about the language in the permit and we were sent this written response, “The City has submitted a Coastal Development Permit to the California Coastal Commission for the H Barracks site which includes Safe Parking and the possibility for a sprung-tent shelter. The proposed large shelter at 3554 Kettner allows for the prioritization of Safe Parking at H Barracks. “
For now the gates will remained locked at the site, until the City moves into the next stage of this discussion which leaves the Mayor’s proposed budget in the hands of the San Diego City Council.
