Oct. 17 open house set for short-term rentals

Short-term rentals have been the talk of the town. That isn’t going to change anytime soon.

The community can participate at a 6 p.m. open house Oct. 17 at the La Conner Civic Garden Club.

Encouraging input on revising short-term rentals regulations is the goal.

The La Conner Planning Commission has been reviewing the issue this summer.

“We want to hear from as many people as possible,” Assistant Planner Ajah Eills told the Weekly News Friday. “The Town is totally neutral on this.”

Short-term rentals are permitted in La Conner’s commercial zone. Allowing them in residential areas is the issue. Now, bed and breakfast operations require a conditional use permit to open in residential zones and their owners must live on-site.

Some municipalities permit unhosted short-term rental stays for between 30 and 120 days, though some – like the City of Port Angeles – are imposing moratoriums on new applications.

Proponents of extending short-term rentals cite opportunities for homeowners to lease their houses while on extended vacations or out-of-town work assignments, with the rental providing income, property security and added revenue for local businesses.

Opponents contend short-term rentals negatively impact residential neighborhoods and reduce housing stock in a community with painfully few options for permanent residents, a factor that in part reflects declining student enrollment at La Conner Schools.

Eills is hopeful the open house will produce a free flow of perspectives. The issue was to be addressed last year as part of a review of the accessory dwelling unit (ADU) section of the municipal code.

“The Town couldn’t get to it then,” Eills said after the nearly two-hour Sept. 5 planning commission session. Housing issues dominated the agenda.

“It will be a chance for neighbor-to-neighbor conversations in a casual setting,” Eills said. “It can be a time for neighbors to talk about what short-term-rentals mean to the community.”

At the planning commission meeting, several residents – some of whom had previously written letters to Town officials opposing changes to the present code – voiced their concerns.

Center Street resident William Smith emphasized cost-of-living impacts when houses are used for short-term rentals rather than permanent dwellings. Reducing housing supply will drive up costs to home buyers and renters, he intimated.

“If you’re priced out, where do you go?” he asked, insisting, “we shouldn’t do anything that contributes to homelessness. It’s a moral issue.”

Local developer Greg Ellis plans a tiny house village behind Pioneer Market. His project includes a row of Airbnbs to shield permanent homes from business noise. He said the rental units will allow visitors to enjoy the ambiance of La Conner.

“The people in the Airbnbs can experience a walking community,” he told commissioners. “People will want to come here and experience that. I’ve been working on it (a walking village) for 20 years.”

Tiny homes will help achieve its long-stated goal of providing more affordable housing, Ellis said. “Some families are having trouble (financially),” said Ellis. “They’re just trying to survive.”

Commissioner Marna Hanneman, who is unopposed this fall for mayor, stressed the importance of securing affordable housing here.

“We need more families,” she said, “because we need students in our schools. Certainly, we want affordable housing, but how do we as a town of less than a thousand people do that?”

The open house will foster discourse.

“The staff,” said Planning Director Michael Davolio, “doesn’t have a position on short-term rentals. We want to make sure everybody who has a dog in this fight has an opportunity to come and present their views either way.”