The San Antonio City Council Public Safety Committee voted to send proposed code changes addressing parking by large commercial vehicles to the full City Council (Session A) after a staff presentation and debate on two policy approaches.

City staff said the proposals respond to community complaints about large trucks and trailers parking in or near residential areas and presented options including a 1,000-foot buffer between residential and nonresidential zones and a straightforward prohibition on large commercial vehicles in residential areas at all hours. The committee chose the first option advanced in the meeting and moved it to Session A for council consideration.

María Vargas, who introduced the item as director of the committee on public safety and integration, summarized background from two citizen council requests (CCRs) tied to complaints in District 8 and a related CCR from Councilmember Rocha García. Vargas said the city’s current municipal code defines “large commercial vehicle” by size — vehicles longer than 24 feet, wider than 8 feet and taller than 8 feet — and that staff had reviewed Texas city regulations and local public outreach done since 2022. Staff also described enforcement pathways already in the municipal code for restricting parking at specific locations following engineering verification and sign installation.

Staff described two formal options for the committee. Option A would create a 1,000-foot buffer separating residential areas from certain nonresidential parking allowances for large commercial vehicles; Option B would restrict parking specifically for vehicles meeting the “large” definition at all hours and raise the penalty for violations. Staff repeatedly emphasized that enforcement and education would fall primarily to the San Antonio Police Department and that implementation would require additional signage and targeted outreach.

Council discussion focused on balancing the needs of small businesses and commercial drivers with resident safety and quality-of-life concerns. Multiple councilmembers and community participants said drivers and small businesses report difficulty finding legal, affordable parking. Staff noted a city-conducted survey of commercial drivers that drew 88 responses and several public comment sessions; staff also reported 66 written comments collected during outreach. Councilmembers cited both the survey and virtual town-hall comments in support of seeking a solution that limits truck parking in neighborhoods while identifying alternate parking sites.

At the meeting, the committee discussed potential costs and sites for designated truck parking. Staff said they had identified some vacant lots and privately owned parking areas that might be explored for conversion but characterized those findings as preliminary; staff did not present a final cost estimate for constructing new parking facilities and stressed that significant capital investment — possibly a bond project — would be required for any city-built facility.

Several members of the committee, and the police chief in response to questions, raised concerns about enforcement capacity. The police representative said officers would prioritize safety-related parking restrictions but acknowledged limited staffing could constrain proactive enforcement; the committee discussed using targeted signage in the highest-incidence areas as an interim measure.

A motion "to use Option A and move the CCR to Session A" was made during the meeting and passed without recorded roll-call votes. The committee chair asked staff to report back to councilmembers on the item as it advances.

The item will now go to Session A for full City Council consideration. If council pursues ordinance changes, staff said the next steps would include drafting specific code amendments, identifying locations for new signs, and continuing stakeholder engagement with drivers and businesses.