State agency OKs homeless parking lot by the San Diego airport

A state agency has approved a plan to create nearly 200 spots for homeless people to sleep in their cars near the San Diego airport, largely clearing the way for the lot to open early next year.

The California Coastal Commission’s unanimous vote Wednesday evening will allow safe parking at the H Barracks site and lets the city later install two large tents that could hold hundreds more people, although local officials have said the latter proposal remains unlikely.

Opponents previously threatened to sue.

“We need to really do everything we can to help address homelessness,” Commissioner Justin Cummings said from the dais. “These safe parking sites have proven to be really good at getting people into services.”

The crisis has grown countywide every month for more than two straight years and well over 10,000 homeless people were again found during the region’s annual point-in-time count in January. The 190 parking spots are a key part of Mayor Todd Gloria’s efforts to boost the region’s strained shelter system, although many neighbors have raised a host of concerns, from the lot’s proximity to Liberty Station’s shops and schools to potential toxins from a nearby landfill.

Six people spoke Wednesday in opposition.

Derek Falconer, head of the nonprofit Point Loma CARES, said a commission report that already noted problematic noise from departing planes didn’t necessarily account for additional traffic stemming from the airport’s soon-to-be-completed Terminal 1. One of the nonprofit’s attorneys, Melania Mirzakhanian, said more tests were needed to ensure the land was safe while Andrew Hollingworth, a member of the Peninsula Community Planning Board, added that a lawsuit was likely.

Around a half-dozen others voiced support. San Diego Councilmember Joe LaCava argued that the lot could reduce the number of recreational vehicles parked illegally in Mission Bay. A union representative said many people employed by hotels — and there are several near the site — often couldn’t afford rent and needed places to sleep. One woman spoke about fleeing an abusive marriage and noted that residents in similar situations needed somewhere to go.

City officials said most spots at existing safe parking lots are full.

The permit requires the city to add a filter to a stormwater drain that will stop any pollutants running off nearby cars from reaching the North Bay, located just across the street. Officials must also prevent paint spills and assume all risks of the project.

The lot should offer a number of services on site and is scheduled to be open from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. A city staffer said the curfew would likely be 10 p.m., although people could still leave after that time.

The proposed tents, known as sprung shelters, would each be 41 feet tall, 18,000 square feet and able to hold 300 people. It remains unclear how that element would be funded.

In five years, the land is slated to become part of San Diego’s Pure Water recycling project.

A separate proposal to covert an empty warehouse by Kettner Boulevard and Vine Street into one of the nation’s largest homeless shelters will finally get a public hearing before the City Council on July 22.