Home sharing finally arrives
Nevada City is full of cutesy bed-and-breakfasts where old-timey innkeepers bring you coffee and scones in the morning, but the town has limited modern lodging options. That’s partly because a decades-old ordinance in downtown Nevada City has restricted people from renting out their homes to vacationers through sites like Airbnb and VRBO — until recently.
Last fall, longtime residents concerned about preserving the character of the area put forward a bill to effectively bar home-share companies from operating in town. A group of local property owners pushed back, arguing that rental websites could incentivize local tourism. When put to a vote, the bill was defeated with a 62 percent majority.
But it’s still a divisive subject in town: Debates brew at local cafes over whether Airbnb will ruin or save this community, which relies heavily on tourism.
“The scarcity of guest lodging was driving visitors to neighboring cities to spend their dollars,” says Kathy Dotson, an Airbnb host and leader of Nevada City Hosts, the local prorental organization. “Allowing short-term lodging has created a new revenue stream for the city, the merchants and the hosts, many of whom, without their short-term rental income, were facing foreclosure.”
The end result? You can now find many listings in downtown Nevada City on Airbnb — though some restrictions apply. You can rent rooms or guest houses only at owner-occupied properties, not entire houses, and homeowners are required to pay a transient occupancy tax. Luckily, Nevada City has plenty of quirky guest homes nestled among its pine trees and tumbling creeks.