Sandwiched between farmland and a field of coastal chapparal, Lapis Road has become a destination for those without homes looking for a safe place to sleep in their cars and recreational vehicles. On the afternoon of Oct. 11, there were 27 RVs and 19 automobiles parked along the 1.25-mile stretch of road in unincorporated county land just outside Marina city limits. That’s now a typical scene.
For many, the road became home when Marina banned all RV parking last year, and was only exacerbated by Seaside’s own anti-RV ordinance in May of this year.
The influx of people has sparked an intense debate between Marina residents, with many taking to social media sites like Facebook and Nextdoor to both defend and condemn their new neighbors.
Contentious posts sparked Marina City Councilmember Nancy Amadeo and Father Jon Perez of Epiphany Lutheran and Episcopal Church to call for a community conversation. On Oct. 13 at 7pm, Amadeo and Perez will facilitate a community meeting at the church to bring both housed and homeless community members together.
“There was such an ugly dialog,” says Amadeo, who opposed the RV ban last year. “There was just so much unjustified fear.”
“There are no fights, there are no meth addicts and people keep things clean.”
While sleeping in vehicles has been prohibited on county roads since 1998, the ordinance gives deputies with the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office significant discretion on whether or not to issue a citation. As the population has grown on Lapis Road, deputies have monitored the area, but have not taken action against the new residents. The Oct. 13 meeting isn’t about enforcement, but Amadeo fears a looming crackdown.
Standing by their cars and organizing their belongings as a strong wind blows off the nearby Monterey Bay, U.S. Army veterans Raylin Merrill, 55, and Colleen Kelleher, 61, prepare for their fifth night of refuge on Lapis Road.
Both found themselves homeless within the past six months after their housing situations deteriorated. Sleeping in his car and driving when gas money has been available, Merrill came to Monterey County from San Jose to be closer to his children. Kelleher came from the Sacramento area for housing at the Veterans Transition Center in Marina. But after a disagreement with her assigned housemate at the center, she found herself back in her car after three nights.
The two met a month ago and quickly fell in love. They plan to move in together in the next month if they can find a place in Seaside or Marina for less than $1,100 a month that will accept their dogs. Kelleher says she has a modest pension from her years working as a registered nurse until health issues forced her to retire a decade ago.
For the time being, they’ve found Lapis Road to be a safe place to stay: away from homes, away from traffic, with most people in a similar situation being friendly, yet unobtrusive.
“It’s really safe here. There are no fights, there are no meth addicts and people keep things clean,” says Merrill as he picks up a few piece of litter on the roadside and puts it into a trash bag in his car. “Most people who sleep in their car know it’s best to pick up after themselves.”
(4) comments
[thumbup] The folks sleeping in their vehicles or RVs on Lapis Road are not within the city limits of the neighboring city, Marina. They are parked outside the city limits on a stretch of road that is closer to Waste Management. They don't obstruct traffic and due to Seaside and Marina's new anti RV parking ordinances, have a clean and safe haven to park and rest on the Monterey Peninsula. It is common to see a police vehicle now and then taking a coffee break and enjoying the rural atmosphere off Lapis Road. As one reviewer stated, unless the former Fort Ord base addresses the needs of sleeping in your car or RV on the Monterey Peninsula, Lapis Road remains a safe and respectable place for those who can't afford the high priced motels and RV parks situated near or within the Monterey County.
Perhaps the County Supervisors would agree to set aside a small parcel of land upon the former Ft. Ord for a Homeless Park. They could use the parcel which was taken away from MST for their Operations & Maintenance facility. Horses, trees and riding trails was the reason Supervisor Jane Parker used to lobby it back after voting to sell to MST. Humans are higher up on the earth's chain than even nice horses. That site now sits idle upon an old landfill. What a great usage this land could be to help temporary homeless.
1. Give applications so you know who they are.
2. Identify criminals from hard luck persons.
3. Appoint a rotational overseer.
4. Allow them to stay based on needs, yet have goal points, leading to ultimate success when leaving.
Ft Ord reuse commitee, Marina, Seaside, Monterey can step up and be heros for solving this long term problem.
Since when did it become a crime to be homeless and be fortunate enough to at least have a place to stay dry and warm instead of sleeping under the freeway?These people only want a place where they can sleep like everyone needs to do and be safe.It really galls me that some people who have a nice cozy little place to reside in every night, seem to be offended that they should have to look at these homeless.
I have a suggestion,why don't the city and county fathers get together and find a place where they can park? It would seem that if you put in some chemical toilets and put some of of the people in charge, to make sure it is kept clean and there are no drugs, it would do wonders for their filling of self worth.
Quite frankly if I were one of the homeless,I would organize all of the others and attend every City council meeting in the area and the Board of Supervisors meeting until some thing was done.It is easy for the cities to chase these people down the road and hope they will go away for someone else to deal with instead of doing it themselves.
When the homeless were working and paying taxes, they were welcome,but now that they are down and out we kick them to the curb,and make sure it's not our curb!
The people we elected to represent us, should represent all of us and not just the people who are offended by what they consider blight.Thank you
[angry]
A similar RV park has sprung up on 1st Ave between Divarty St. & Lightfighter close to the boundary of Marina and Seaside. Driving past this weekend after biking along the Monterey Recreational Trail, I counted six RVs and a few cars. I even saw a tent sandwiched between the trees. It's only a matter of time before the number of RVs grow bigger and it becomes an issue.
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