By Kevin Hastings, Vice-Chair, OB Planning Board
Last night, July 23, the Community Planners Committee (CPC) unanimously approved a citizen-led proposal for changes to the short-term vacation rental ordinance.
The CPC consists of the chairs of all 40+ planning groups across the city.
And at least 6 of the community groups have also signed on to the proposal.
This is on the eve of a City Council Community and Neighborhood Services committee meeting (7/25 at 1pm) for a required annual review of the ordinance. Councilmember Jennifer Campbell chairs this committee.
We will be asking them to incorporate these changes.
We aren’t asking for the moon here, or to ban STRs, just some common sense changes to at least get what was advertised.
Summary:
- Close the loophole that allows an owner to obtain multiple STR licenses by using a different “proxy host” on each application. There are small-time hosts stuck on a waitlist meanwhile these “corporate hosts” have 5 or 10 STR licenses. Mickey Mills in Ocean Beach obtained 115 STR licenses! Legally!
- Limit the # of units in a building that can be converted to STR, to stop entire apartment complexes from being converted to airbnb hotels.
- Cap the number of licenses per neighborhood. There’s a 1% citywide cap, but currently 8% of the rental housing in Ocean Beach is now year-round vacation rentals. And there are 800 more STR licenses up for grabs (outside of Mission Beach.)
- Stricter enforcement, including against hosting platforms who violate the ordinance by allowing unlicensed listings and 1-night listings.
Read the full letter here
See our presentation here
Click here for information and how to participate in the Council meeting in-person or virtually, or to leave written comment
Excellent work putting all of this together, that alone is amazing. But, getting all of that consensus is even more amazing, quite an effort. Mr. Hastings and the others in this effort deserve our appreciation. I wonder if the meeting will be live on city TV.
It was my great honor to make the motion to endorse this proposal — which was passed unanimously. Can’t think of a better way to have spent my last meeting as Uptown Planners’ representative on the CPC.
Unless a lawyer is involved this is a waste of time. It’s a good excuse to meet your neighbors though!
Well, before you engage a lawyer, you need to lay some groundwork, which is what these folks are doing. The first thing judges look for is whether or not people have exhausted all other options to resolve their issues – other than a law suit – and have not been successful. Then, you sue.