Two long-term policies affecting development in Ocean Shores — how to enforce and regulate short-term rental uses in residential areas, and the city’s overall Comprehensive Plan — continue to converge before the Planning Commission.
While there has been little public comment thus far about the Comprehensive Plan revision process, there has been ongoing debate about short-term or nightly rentals in residential zones since the commission first took up the subject in February.
“I don’t see people banging on the doors in this communing begging this city to allow them to do nightly rentals,” said Planning Commission member Eleanor Dorman at the May 8 meeting. “To be perfectly honest, it tends to be realtors, property managers and people who have an axe to grind on overnight rentals that are pushing for it. … I’m done with it.”
Another member, Cathey Peterson, noted the Planning Commission had been tasked by Mayor Crystal Dingler with looking into the issue like others reviewed in the past, such as whether or not to allow the raising of chickens or how to regulate sales and production of marijuana.
“It’s very emotional,” Peterson said to Dorman. “You don’t want it. You don’t want it in your neighborhood, you don’t want it in town. But that’s not our job.”
Planning Commission chair Jeff Daniel, a real estate broker, said he believed it was appropriate to continue to examine the issue: “It’s not personally how we feel about it, but what’s best for the city of Ocean Shores. That’s why we’re here.”
Commission consultant Linda Whitcher noted the mayor has said any changes proposed to the current short-term vacation rental policy “will be put up for election.” Whitcher said she believed it was the commission’s task to determine if the use is appropriately regulated and to “look to other communities to find some ideas and decide if we want to recommend those ideas or not.”
Commission member Eric Noble noted what the commission recommends also has to be reviewed and approved by the City Council.
“This same conversation is going to happen all over again once it goes to the City Council, so we are not deciding whether it’s going to happen or not going to happen,” Noble said. “We’re just saying if the city wanted to do it, here are some regulations that could make it work.”
The commission has been looking at how several other communities regulate short-term vacation rentals, and have focused on the city of Carlsbad, CA, as one example. Other examples have been Palm Springs and Port Townsend.
Daniel suggested looking at what a new city ordinance on the subject “would look like.” The commission began to consider the possibility of a short-term rental area that would permit such use west of Ocean Shores Boulevard and south of Marine View Drive. The idea could be implemented as a test program, Daniel and Noble suggested.
“Geographically and realistically, 99 out of 100 vacation renters want to be able to walk to the beach or they want to see the beach. That’s why we all came to Ocean Shores, and that’s why they vacation here,” Daniel said.
Carlsbad has a “coastal zone” that allows overnight rentals in an area along the beach.
Even if Ocean Shores adopted such a concept, Daniel said, most of the condos that already exist in the area have their own covenants and restrictions that would have to be followed.
Much of the May 8 meeting involved looking at how the use of short-term rentals would be regulated, what fees or taxes would be applied and charged, and how it would be enforced and what inspections would be required. Other issues were how to notify the public of which properties were permitted.
“I would personally like to see a great big sign in the yard that says this is the point of contact if there is a disturbance at 10 o’clock at night,” said resident Richard Wills during the public comment period.
Resident Marlene Penry said there should be an updated database online available for residents to keep track of which properties are allowing overnight rentals.
“I want to know which houses in my neighborhood are not residences. I need to know that for my safety. I need to know if places around me are vacation rentals or not,” Penry said.
David Linn asked for clarification about what the ultimate goal of review was and disputed the contention there are numerous illegal nightly rental businesses now operating across the city, according to his review of those listed on the online sites Airbnb and VRBO.
“It could be that there there are some going on privately, but I think it’s a much smaller number than has been presented up to now,” Linn said.
Comprehensive Plan
Open House
The Planning Commission will hold an open house at 3:30 p.m. May 29 at the Convention Center to take comment on two chapters of revisions to the draft Comprehensive Plan. Copies of the two chapters should be complete next week, with the plan to have one at the Library and at the city Planning office. The chapters cover economic development and the environment.
