Designing Safe Sleeping Sites in San Diego’s East County

Safe Parking Lots Will Offer Refuge

For our county’s unhoused citizens, sleeping can be dangerous. Will someone take your things? Will the weather make you suffer? Will someone do you harm? The list of worries goes on.

We’re proud to be working with the County of San Diego, along with prime contractor Michael Baker International and its GC partner Turner Construction Company, to provide Safe Sleeping Sites for people currently unsheltered and living in their cars.

Construction is starting soon at a safe parking site in Spring Valley. People living out of their cars can park there and stay the night, legally. The site will be secured and staffed, and occupants will be screened. These sites will provide people with the basic dignity of restrooms and showers.

A similar safe parking lot is planned for El Cajon. The lots will most likely open in mid-2024.

When designing these safe parking lot adaptations, we site the ingress/egress, fencing, services, administration buildings and security lighting and cameras. We’re also designing for ADA compliance. The parking lots need significant modifications, including pervious paving in some cases.

Coordinating the project for Platt/Whitelaw is James Mason, who said, “It’s very rewarding knowing that people in need will be secure and have a place to go to find a better situation.”

Collaborating with James on the project is our firm Principal Naveen Waney, AIA, and our intern Malie Little. Our fantastic roster of subconsultants includes Turpin & Rattan Engineering, Bender Dean Engineering, Petersen Structural Engineers (PSE) and Engineering Partners Inc. (EPI).