San Mateo Seeks Public Input in Oversized Vehicle Parking Restrictions

The city of San Mateo’s Department of Public Works will host a community workshop Wednesday evening to receive input on an ordinance that restricts oversized vehicles parked in residential neighborhoods.

The meeting will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., in the Oak Room at the located at 55 West 3rd Ave. in San Mateo.

This workshop is part of the Public Works Department’s broader community outreach effort to explore ways to define and implement on-street parking restrictions of oversized vehicles in residential neighborhoods.

Examples of oversized vehicles, include, but are not limited to, larger commercial vehicles, RVs, boats, and stretch limousines.

In early 2011, homeowner associations (HOA) approached the city of San Mateo regarding the visibility and safety issues, along with parking shortages, created by oversized vehicles parking on residential streets, according to city officials.

Residents identified oversized vehicle parking as a citywide problem, with some neighborhoods having a higher incidence of oversized vehicles.

Based on a review of existing ordinances in other cities, the Public Works team presented draft ordinance language to the Public Works Commission in January, and is now commencing its citywide effort to reach out to all stakeholders to obtain input.

“Oversized vehicles can restrict driver visibility and compete for valuable on-street parking,” Larry Patterson, Director of Public Works, said in a statement.

“For owners of these vehicles, accessible parking is important. Our goal is to gather input that allows us to develop ordinance language that addresses the challenges, while not creating an unreasonable challenge for residents or owners of oversized vehicles,” he said. 

The workshop will include a guided small group discussion on draft language and a review of possible implementation approaches – citywide or by street.

The workshop will also highlight existing ordinances and policies currently in place that can address parallel, but separate issues such as home businesses that park multiple vehicles in residential neighborhoods, commercial businesses that use residential neighborhoods for business parking, and vehicles that encroach upon neighboring private driveways. 

To learn more about this effort and for additional workshop details, call 650.522.7334 or visitwww.cityofsanmateo.org/oversizedvehicleparking.

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