The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to push the deadline to Sept. 30 – pending FAA approval – with about 130 people still living in the camp. The homeless encampment is located near the Guadalupe River Park, and the city has already swept hundreds of people off the land between Spring and Walnut streets.
Officials say the extension would help the city find more options to house these people, including interim housing at a San Jose police parking lot. The extension received support from residents and local organizations during the meeting.
The site sits under the Mineta San Jose International Airport flight path, and the FAA has threatened to withhold millions in federal funding if it isn't cleared by June 30.
Councilmember Dev Davis, who represents the area near the airport, told San Jose Spotlight prior to the vote, she was skeptical changes can be made within two months. She ultimately voted in favor of extending the deadline because the city agreed to sweep another area bordering the FAA site.
San Jose was asked to clear the encampment in July 2021, when more than 200 individuals were living in tents, RVs and cars at Columbus Park, near the Guadalupe River Trail. Last fall, the city cleared nearly half of the 40-acre site. Since then, city officials said they've had to re-sweep the area six times because homeless individuals returned and re-established camps.
