SANTA MONICA, CA — Up to 150 Amazon-owned robotaxis could soon be parked beneath Santa Monica's Main Library under a proposed agreement that could generate at least $500,000 annually for the city.
The Santa Monica City Council voted 6-0 on Oct. 13 to authorize staff to pursue a license agreement with Zoox, Amazon's autonomous vehicle subsidiary, allowing the company to stage and store its electric robotaxi fleet in underused city-owned parking facilities.
According to the city's Oct. 13 staff report, Item 11.A, the primary locations under consideration are the first underground level of the Main Library parking structure and portions of its surface parking lot.
Officials are also evaluating the Kiss-and-Ride lot south of the Downtown Santa Monica E Line station, which could serve as a temporary staging location while a longer-term arrangement is developed.
The proposed deal would generate approximately $500,000 or more in annual revenue, with Zoox paying the city on a per-space basis. However, the agreement has not been confirmed as finalized, and no date has been announced for the vehicles to arrive.
During the Oct. 13 City Council meeting, City Manager Oliver Chi explained that the library's three-level parking structure has considerable unused capacity. Only one level is currently being used regularly, he said, while another has been closed entirely because of operational issues.
City officials previously explored allowing another autonomous vehicle company to use the library garage for staging, but those discussions did not result in an agreement. Chi said Zoox is interested in the location, although the city is still determining whether its facilities meet the company's technical requirements.
Councilmember Natalya Zernitskaya questioned how the arrangement would work given that the library parking structure normally closes overnight. Chi explained that the garage would remain open while Zoox was using it, with appropriate staffing needed to maintain and manage the facility.
The city is also considering whether some of the approximately 30 spaces in the library's ground-level parking lot could be included in the agreement. Beyond generating revenue, officials said the arrangement could help prevent autonomous vehicles from congregating in residential neighborhoods, an issue the city has been seeking to address.
Chi described the proposed arrangement as a pilot that could operate for up to one year, giving the city an opportunity to evaluate its effectiveness before determining whether to continue. The parking facilities would be used for staging and storage rather than charging. Zoox is separately working to establish charging infrastructure elsewhere.
Chi also told council members that Santa Monica is included in Zoox's anticipated Los Angeles-area deployment, although the agreement would not itself authorize or establish the start of public passenger service in the city. The proposed license would follow the city's existing Parking Division procedures and include provisions indemnifying Santa Monica for incidents involving Zoox vehicles.
Councilmember Dan Hall recused himself from the vote after disclosing that his ownership of Amazon stock could create a financial conflict of interest. The council's authorization allows city staff to continue negotiations and, if acceptable terms are reached, implement the agreement administratively without necessarily returning for another vote.
The proposal is separate from two downtown parking initiatives involving the city's parking operator, Metropolis, including improvements to existing garages and a new Third Street Promenade valet parking service planned for the holiday shopping season.
For now, the precise locations, operational details and timetable remain subject to further discussions between the city and Zoox.
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