Podcast: |
Friday, June 6, 2014
Santacruzca.org
Last week, I attended a couple of meetings in Monterey County, focused on short-term vacation rentals, or “home stays,” as Monterey County calls them. One of the meetings was in the Big Sur Grange Hall, and one was in the Community Room of the Carmel Highlands Fire Station. I was there because I am representing the Monterey County Vacation Rental Coalition, in my capacity as an environmental and land use attorney. The Coalition is hoping that the County will adopt an ordinance allowing property owners to rent their residential properties for short-term vacation rentals. This is a somewhat controversial proposition, since short-term vacation rentals in residential neighborhoods can have neighborhood impacts. The issues are somewhat similar to the “neighborhood integrity” issues involved in the Accessory Dwelling Unit program I mentioned yesterday.
Comments on all sides of the question were heard, and the County staff members were clearly taking notes. As the staff noted, the ideal result would be a “win/win” ordinance, providing enhanced protection to neighborhood residents, while opening up visitor-serving opportunities that will support the local economy. Santa Cruz County has wrestled with the same issue, and it’s generally believed that the Santa Cruz County ordinance does a good job of getting to that “win/win” result.
If you’d like to get involved in the Monterey County discussion, check today’s transcript, which has a link to all the current documents.
More Information:
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Former Santa Cruz County Supervisor Gary Patton talks about land use, and land use decisions, with an emphasis on public participation and how the land use process works.