Amid the many bakeries, restaurants and attractions of downtown Solvang, many tourists don’t realize homelessness is a problem locally.
“I would have never imagined that homelessness was an issue here,” said Sona Smith, who is visiting Solvang from Chicago.
However, just outside the Danish village, many RVs can be seen parked in residential neighborhoods and along city streets.
Doing so had been prohibited up until last week’s Solvang City Council meeting, where Mayor Mark Infanti signed a new ordinance to allow it, but with restrictions.
“It goes back to, 'you can’t outlaw people that are homeless just because they are homeless,” Mayor Infanti told KSBY. “They are not criminals. They need to be treated respectfully, but there are some limitations on what they are allowed to do.”
According to recent state law, cities may not legally clear homeless encampments or prohibit overnight parking if alternative shelter options aren’t available.
Given that the City of Solvang does not offer any shelter services, the ordinance had to be amended to comply with state regulations.
“Oftentimes we see that homelessness is criminalized, and you see unhoused people being ticketed for loitering, for being in places where they are not welcomed, so this is a great way to be a model for other cities,” Sona Smith added.
Under the new ordinance, temporary parking will now be permitted for 24 hours at a time on city-owned public property, excluding areas within Solvang’s Tourism Commercial District.
And though some neighbors expressed concerns about how the changes could hinder tourism, health and safety, other longtime Solvang community members feel the new parking policy shouldn’t be a problem.
“If they stay on the city property, that is fine. It doesn’t seem to interfere overnight. The town closes up really early at nighttime,” said Barbara Henderson, who has lived in Solvang for the past 25 years. “So, I feel like it shouldn’t interfere with anything going on here as far as the merchants are concerned.”
Meanwhile, Smith said she is on board with the new ordinance as well.
“We are visitors. We get to go home. We get to come get a glimpse of it, so the priority should be the residents. Making sure the people who live here, who play here, who work here have what they need to survive,” Smith said.
City officials say overnight parking is still prohibited downtown, near schools, or in areas that impede traffic. They add that once a vehicle has been parked in the same place for more than 24 hours, they will be asked to relocate.
Mayor Infanti says the new parking policy will go into effect next month.
