Joshua Tree area overrun as short-term rentals reign
JOSHUA TREE, Calif. — Mark Grden was looking for peace and quiet when he bought his house a half-mile from the main entrance to Joshua Tree National Park in 1998. And for years, he’d found it.
“I used to sit out on the porch and watch bobcats creep past under skies filled with stars, bats and owls,” he said. “Neighbors knew each other and kept an eye on each other’s property.”
But over the past two decades, this otherworldly landscape has gone from a destination for hikers and rock climbers to an international attraction luring 3 million visitors per year — overwhelming the area’s craggy campsites, low-slung motels and Grden’s once-sleepy community.
Short-term rental services are spurring a construction boom unfettered by county permits, regulations or lodging taxes in this gateway to the national park.
The unincorporated community of Joshua Tree has a population of about 9,000 and an estimated 800 unlicensed vacation rental businesses offering a menu of quirky alternatives to traditional lodging: vintage trailers, Sherpa huts, tepees, shipping containers and camps where guests are encouraged to let their dogs run free.
It is illegal to operate a nightly rental in unincorporated San Bernardino County, but there are no enforcement codes governing the practice, officials said. With such high demand and nearly no risk of punishment, property owners are rushing to get in the market.
But the onslaught of short-term rentals is creating a widening rift among residents. The tensions play out at community gatherings, on social media and in heated arguments that break out in cafes and supermarkets.
San Bernardino County is drafting regulations to rein in the vacation rental market. Specifics being hammered out include, for example, what types of portable sanitation systems should required for businesses operating out of tents, said David Wert, a spokesman for San Bernardino County.
The ordinance is expected to be presented to the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors for approval this year, said Andy Wingert, the county’s code enforcement chief.
On the other side of the issue are those who invested in vacation rentals, which can provide lucrative streams of income in a place where the median household income is about $34,000, compared with about $57,000 in the county as a whole.
“I’ve got clients from San Diego to San Francisco who have bought secondhomesherejusttorentthem out,” general contractor Mike Wilson said. “One of my clients is making $20,000 a month on two rental properties.”