Cap Live Oak vacation rental permits at 220
Twenty-five beach neighborhood resident home-owners in Live Oak have sent a letter to our California Coastal Commissioners asking that they approve the Vacation Rental Permit Cap at 220, as approved
5-0 by our Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors in October and that they deny amendment suggested modifications to the ordinance including allowing vacation permit owners having permitted on-street public parking spaces.
The Commissioners vote on these issues today (Jan. 13) as Agenda Item 16b – Live Oak District Local Coastal Plan - Vacation Rental Permits.
Our community has an unprecedented rental housing scarcity that has become critical due to last summer’s CZU fire destroying 911 residences. Hundreds of families are putting their lives back together and many need long-term rental housing while they rebuild their lives.
Reducing vacation rental permits in our beach neighborhoods from the current 262 to 220 will not happen overnight; it will take place over time through attrition (e.g., property sales, non-renewals). Opportunities to open much needed rental housing in our community should not be missed: this 220 cap on vacation rental permits will assist in this. Equal coastal access is a stated primary goal of the Coastal Commission.
• Our area has ample coastal access resources including beach parking lots and public transportation with lodging available for overnight visitors including motels, hotels, bedand-breakfasts, etc.
• 262 vacation rental permits works against equal coastal access by limiting its enjoyment only to those able to pay often far in excess of $400+ a night
• 262 vacation rental permits works against opening rental housing opportunities for our community
Regrettably the county’s Vacation Rental Program has not effectively respected our coastal neighborhoods. Vacation rentals are “businesses” operating in “residential” zones, many times by out-of-area absentee owners. Vacation rental permits are in concentrated in dense clusters; related issues interrupt and spoil our community lifestyle.
Despite concerns repeated over and over by home-owner residents and renters living next door to or near-by a vacation rental it must be noted that in more than 10 years not one vacation rental permit has ever been revoked.
A comment heard from a staff member: “Maybe upset neighbors/neighborhoods are too emotional.” Also of note: when this issue went before our Board of Supervisors, the Planning Department did not have an accurate count of current vacation rentals - this reflects another gap in management of this ordinance.
The ordinance amendments use the word “may” ( meaning, “may or may not”) versus “shall” (a requirement) making these “proposed improvement modification/ amendments” too simplistic; they will continue the past precedent of allowing nuisances and bad operators to thrive unimpeded.
Coastal Commissioners are asked to:
1Vote
Yes to the vacation rental permit ordinance’s 220cap on permits as unanimously adopted 5-0by our elected County Board of Supervisors in October.
2Deny
suggested ordinance modifications: regardless of permit count, send these amendment modifications back for revision and require that:
• Planning shall develop a plan for stronger oversight of permit owners’ tenant behaviors.
Vacation rentals shall be required to meet residential on-site parking Code 13.552 and shall not be permitted on-street public parking spaces
Planning shall develop a uniform apportionment plan across the district to reduce current negative impacts/ dense clusters of vacation rental permits in our immediate neighborhoods.
Coastal Commissioners have approved other coastal communities’ neighborhoods’ rights to limit and even completely ban vacation rentals. Likewise we’re asking our Commissioners to support our requests here in Live Oak.
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