SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : RV Storage Cost to Go Up 50 Cents

Recreational vehicles stored in the city’s Los Rios district lot will pay an extra 50 cents a foot starting April 1.

The City Council unanimously approved the price increase last week, which bumps the cost per foot from $1.25 to $1.75. The rate is based on the length of each vehicle. The price hike will generate about $38,100 in revenue per year, which covers the city’s cost for the lot, said David P. Bentz, San Juan Capistrano’s finance director.

“We have to at least hit a break-even point on the lot. That’s all we are doing,” Bentz said.

The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency bought the storage lot at 31771 Los Rios St. for $1.1 million in 1984. A total of $800,000 of the purchase price was funded by the agency, according to a city report. The yard has a capacity of 251 vehicles.

The $1.75 per foot brings the cost even with Rancho Storage, a privately owned storage lot in the city, according to the report. Prices at other South County storage facilities range as high as $2.45 a foot, the study showed.