The San Jose Spotlight reported that more than 100 people showed up to a virtual community meeting Wednesday led by Councilmember Sergio Jimenez's office to share concerns over a safe parking program at the VTA Santa Teresa station parking lot.
The San Jose City Council is set to approve a five-year lease with VTA to start the program and provide 45 to 60 RV spaces in September. The program will be managed by LifeMoves, a nonprofit that has managed other safe parking spots in San Jose.
Neighbors of the lot fear it will attract more homeless residents to camp around the site, impacting quality of life and devaluing properties. More than 32-hundred residents have signed a petition against the site.
The safe parking program at the VTA train station has been years in the making. It comes as San Jose works to address its homeless crisis. According to this year's tally, more than 67-hundred people are sleeping on the streets of San Jose. The city's homeless population increased 11-percent from 2019 – despite housing more than 6,000 residents over the past three years.
