San Rafael temporarily bans homeless campers at City Hall

San Rafael will ban camping on City Hall grounds for six months because of health and safety concerns — including a rodent infestation — connected to a growing congregation of homeless people.

The encampment at 1400 Fifth Ave. “has more than quadrupled in size” in recent weeks, forcing visitors to walk between tents to enter City Hall, Daniel Cooperman, the community services director, wrote in a staff report.

The campers have polluted the site with trash, urine and rotten food, attracting rodents and other pests. So far, that problem has been limited to the exterior of the building, Cooperman said.

Disruptions from the encampment resulted in at least 30 calls to police last month, he said.

The City Council approved a resolution on the ban on Tuesday, saying it is necessary to conduct rodent control as well as regularly scheduled maintenance of the building exterior.

Officials gave campers notices to vacate Wednesday. Those who fail to comply will have their belongings removed on Jan. 26, according to the notices.

“City staff have been working with each individual to understand their specific needs, provide information about available options, and support warm handoffs to appropriate services and locations wherever possible,” Cooperman said.

Cooperman said the camp has included up to 14 people. Ten were still there Wednesday.

“Our intention is to balance compassion for people experiencing homelessness and the realities of keeping a functional workplace,” he said.  ”In order to accomplish this, we need to immediately address the rodent and pest conditions.”

The resolution was part of the consent calendar of the City Council agenda on Tuesday. Consent calendar items are typically approved with no discussion.

However, some residents raised concerns. Questions came from residents of the Rafael Meadows, a neighborhood in northern San Rafael that has been critical of the city plan to address homelessness.

The neighborhood was blindsided when city and county officials announced agreements last year to set up a temporary village of cabins for up to 70 homeless people on a 2.5-acre property at 350 Merrydale Road. The long-term plan is to construct an affordable housing project on the site.

Though the camp at City Hall is a separate issue, Gregory Andrew, who lives in the Rafael Meadows neighborhood, wrote a letter to the city asking officials to remove the resolution from the consent calendar for a full discussion.

City officials did not oblige, but accepted comments and offered responses.

“There’s going to be 10 to 15 individuals who will somehow relocate from the closure of the camping here at City Hall, and the staff report does not address where these individuals are going to go,” Andrew said to the council on Tuesday. “Seems like the businesses and residents in the area should be informed about that.”

Resident Marianne Nannestad said the staff report notes that those camping on the City Hall campus are new to San Rafael. She said the report cites the city’s investment in 350 Merrydale Road as an example of its commitment to increasing shelter capacity.

“In the past, the city has clearly stated that Merrydale is intended to serve people experiencing homelessness in San Rafael, not as a regional intake site,” she said. “However, the way this report is structured makes it reasonable to wonder whether individuals currently camping at City Hall, particularly those described as new to San Rafael, could be referred to Merrydale once it opens.”

Nannestad said she was not suggesting that is the city’s intent.

“Given the sensitivity to this issue and the level of concern in surrounding neighborhoods, clarity matters,” Nannestad said.

Assistant City Manager John Stefanski said the Merrydale Road project is limited to people who will be moved from the city’s sanctioned camping area near Mahon Creek and another encampment on Andersen Drive.

City officials said they plan to meet with residents of the Rafael Meadows community in February before determining the next steps on the Merrydale Road plan. No other meetings on the issue are scheduled.