County To Vote on Short Term Rental Rules
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Hood River Board to Decide Short Term Rental Rules We have started a petition urging the Commission to adopt a real residency requirement for STRs. You can sign the petition here and also check out the smart and heartfelt comments that others have left. The Board of Commissioners is expected to make their final decision on changes to Hood River’s zoning code for Short Term Rentals (also known as STRs or vacation rentals) on August 20th. This will be their third hearing on the issue. Thanks to all of you who turned out on June 18th for the second hearing on changes to their rules for Short Term Rentals. Just like the April hearing, the room was packed and every single speaker testified in favor of a real residency requirement in order to operate an STR in the County. The Hood River News has a good summary of the hearing. Click here to see the problems caused by non-resident STRs.
Over the last few years, the number of Short Term Rentals (aka “STRs” or vacation rentals) and second homes in Hood River has skyrocketed, gobbling up our housing stock and driving home prices even higher and out of range for many local people. The number of homes used for “seasonal, recreational or occasional use” has doubled in the last 7 years: now about 8.8% of our housing stock is not available for year-round residents because they are second homes or vacation rentals. One of the main decisions for the Board of Commissioners will be a definition of the word “resident.” The current code allows STRs as long as they are occupied and operated by a “resident” of the property, but the term is undefined, leading to confusion and abuse. What do you think when you hear the word “resident”? Somebody who lives there, right? But many STR applicants can’t provide proof of residency because they really live in Georgia or Portland or California and just own a home in Hood River as an investment property or second home. Option One: Real Residency Thanks to strong input from people like you, the Planning Commission voted in February to recommend to the Board of Commissioners that the STR must be the “domicile” or the real permanent residence of the STR operator. With this definition in place, Hood River residents can rent out a spare bedroom or even their whole house, but the main use of the house is as their own primary home. This eliminates STRs as a source of funding for out-of-town investors while allowing real residents to earn extra income. Option Two: 30 Days and You’re a Resident of Hood River County The Board is also considering a definition where if you stay in the house for at least 30 days in a calendar year, you’ll be considered a resident of Hood River County. Meaning you can live somewhere else for the other 335 days of the year and still be considered a resident. Really? Actually, the Commissioners are also considering a third option–just throwing up their hands and deciding it’s too hard to regulate STRs. We appreciate that crafting zoning regulations is complicated, but voters expect our elected officials to roll up their sleeves and work hard to come up with the public policies that are best for the community, not abandon the effort just because it’s hard. Decision Time Recent data on Hood River’s housing shortage shows that the County should be limiting STRs rather than promoting them. Instead of loosening regulations now, the County should take care of local people first by adopting a strong residency definition. Our dilemma is also attracting statewide attention. KOIN television station came out to film one of the hearings. See their coverage Please encourage Hood River County to put homes for local families ahead of real estate investments for out-of-towners by attending today’s hearing and sharing your opinion with the Board of Commissioners: Commission Chair Ron Rivers, 541-308-6326, riversrc@gmail.com |
