After a resident voiced concerns about short-term rentals during the Aug. 24 Guadalupe City Council meeting, City Attorney Phillip Sinco said he was interested in hearing what council members had to say about hosted versus unhosted short-term rentals.
The Pasadera Homes resident spoke about a short-term rental near her home and asked for more discussion regarding unhosted rentals—or rentals where the owners don’t live on or near the property. She said the property near her home was purchased exclusively for short-term rentals by investors who have no intention of visiting the property, which is not the purpose of the area.
The Guadalupe City Council discussed a proposed ordinance for regulating short-term rentals during its Sept. 14 meeting, which took place after the Sun went to press. The ordinance includes more regulations for unhosted short-term rentals within city limits.
Sinco said having a host—or permanent resident—on the property could give area residents and the city more peace of mind about how short-term rental guests will behave as well as preserve a neighborhood’s “residential character.”
In addition to proposing that nonhosted properties obtain an administrative use permit and have a local contact person near the property, it would establish operating standards for noise, parking and property maintenance, and provide a process to track and enforce the requirements. The City Council will vote on the final ordinance on Sept. 28.
During an October 2020 meeting, Sinco said, Guadalupe City Councilmember Ariston Julian said short-term rentals caused a bit of a nuisance in his neighborhood. Julian was concerned about noise regulations and said it seemed that the short-term renters did not “respect,” the neighbors, Sinco said. However, the discussion was postponed due to more urgent matters until the Aug. 24 meeting brought the issue back up.
In October 2020, Sinco said, staff advised council members that they had two options: either prohibit short-term property rentals or regulate them with an ordinance.
“They weren’t opposed to the rentals; they wanted to see growth,” Sinco said.
The City Council opted to pursue an ordinance because they wanted to use it as an opportunity to increase the transient occupancy tax, Sinco said.
“You have to work with what you have where you are. There’s a lot of potential for Guadalupe to become a coastal tourist town. It’s a diamond in the rough,” he said.
The city has since received interest from more people regarding investment properties for Airbnbs, Sinco said. Guadalupe currently has 10 Airbnbs, nine of which are in Pasadera.
The popularity and income made from short-term rentals has pushed the exclusive use of homes for Airbnbs or VRBO, which becomes a serious issue when there’s a high demand for housing, a Sept. 14 staff report said. The city is expecting a population growth of more than 50 percent, growing from 8,000 to about 12,500, according to previous Sun reporting.
With that potential growth on the horizon, Sinco said the city is also concerned about new homeowners and long-term renters.
“There are very few houses on the market, housing is tight, and rentals are tight,” Sinco said.
This article appears in Sep 16-23, 2021.
