Socio-economic impact of VHRs to be studied
Even though the South Lake Tahoe City Council on July 21 is expected to vote on a vacation home rental ordinance, the city is going to spend money after that fact on a consultant who will prepare a socio-economic impact study of vacation home rentals.
The city says it will be a comprehensive, unbiased report assessing how VHR’s impact the city, community, housing market and day-to-day quality of life for residents.
The VHR issue has become more heated and contentious in the last year between residents who believe these rentals are ruining neighborhoods and those who believe they are another economic driver in a town whose main industry is tourism.
— Lake Tahoe News staff report
Not so many vacation rentals in the neighborhoods.
Upgrading the hotels that already exists should do the trick.
They whould then also solve the long term rental problem that these property’s have and turn them back into nice hotel properties that tourists whould like to rent.
Bottom line, keep most VHR’s out of the neighborhood,help the hotels in town work like hotels, not long term housing.
While continuing to upgrade the look and feel of the city in the process.
(Just a thought)
Makes no sense,; if it is ‘comprehensive and unbiased'((hmmm….) why not base policy on it, and why not wait to set policy until it is completed, reviewed and discussed?
Next: VHR consultants…
You live in a vacation area get used to it or leave.
Yeah, spending money on outside consultants that the city could spend on stuff the town actually needs. . .
Study after study, just so that when a decision is actually made, the people who make it can point fingers at other people instead of taking the responsibility themselves.
who is the consultant?
Get tourists out of our neighborhoods !
Instead of making the hard choices and sticking to it, no matter what the ‘special interests’ want, the City Council, for what seems like decades, has hired ‘Consultants’; and then tossed the reports in the trash. Seems that ElDorado County Supervisors do the same thing. Must be the thin air up here, not sure about Placerville.
David…what a pleasant comment. Got any skin in the game?
David: We were here first and don’t like them ruining our neighborhoods. Yes, you must have some interest in this. The cops got called on one near me two nights ago. I didn’t call but now they are losing their deposit. Maybe next time they will show some respect for locals.
Rooster nice thoughts, but the type of people who rent in homes would not be interested in the motels that are currently being used as long term. These properties would need much more than lipstick, it would be tear down and rebuild, they need to be cottages or condos to attract these type of cleintile and 4 or 5 bedroom ones at that. I dont think the ROI would be high enough to interest outside investment, If they are not the tourist would more than likely go to count, north shore or othe destination spots completely.
I have a feeling that the study would find that it would effect employment signifaicantly. You have to remember all summer long (as well as many winter weekends during a normal winter)motel capasity on weekends at about 90% or better.
Let’s hope the study addresses the problem that city bureaucrats are incapable of solving, what recourse do neighborhood residents have when there is a problem with a vacation rental.
During busy periods, if the police have other priorities, understandably the vacation rental problem goes to the bottom of the list. At the same time, it is impossible for residents to obtain a contact name and phone number “after hours” to address the issue on their own by making a simple phone call to the contact responsible.
Hence the frustration. The City has created the problem and is unable to solve it.
Anyone who has watched these VHR agenda item discussions on the City’s website would know that the City’s in a bad situation where they can’t win. On the one hand you have the residents who’d prefer to eliminate neighborhood VHRs completely, on the other hand are the Real Estate businesses and the VHR businesses that adamantly oppose any changes to the VHR Ordinance, and then there’s Jim Morris of Lake Tahoe Accommodations who announced at a City Council meeting that he’d initiated a lawsuit against the City that will now require the City’s expending valuable financial and staffing resources on that lawsuit and will take money and staff time away from other “stuff the town actually needs”.
The City attempted to find a middle ground that would be amicable for residents and businesses but neither side were willing to compromise so now the City is stuck having to engage an IMPARTIAL, INDEPENDENT firm to prepare a socio-economic impact study of vacation home rentals in SLT because the City can’t do it or else they’ll be accused of bias. When the study is complete then they’ll have something tangible to point to when they make a decision but whatever decision is made will surely cause an uproar by the opposing side so the City still won’t win.
While it may be a disappointment to all the government haters and bashers out there, this isn’t the City’s first choice—it’s been caused by the local residents and local businesses that refuse to compromise.
mc: well put
I agree with 4-mer,
Just keep it out of my living room. Stateline is a great place for this event. I bet people weren’t urinating and dropping trash in peoples yards during this event.
Supposedly, armed law enforcement officers cost around $150,000 a year. If there are 2 officers dedicated to VHR issues, does the city want to pay $300,000 a year to stop violations of codes?
Some great comments from Rooster, 4-mer and some others. What I see that has changed in the last 10 plus years is two fold.
First, with less people living here full time, more vacation homes, obviously.
Second, is the proliferation of these Mini Mansions in neighborhoods that are built exclusively to be a VHR. I’ve had six built around me, they have two or three entrances, multi-level that can connect.
We’ve always had some vacation homes in neighborhoods, now they are bigger and really just mini hotels. They’re not all bad, but once a month from one particular rental is always loud with a party all weekend long. That’s too much for a residential neighborhood.
Lots of excuses about why the City can’t fix this. Leaders don’t care about special interests, they care about the citizens. My conclusion: the City doesn’t have any leaders, accountability or common sense. The solution is obviously to punish, severly, any one who violates the rights of citizens. They don’t have the will to do so because they are compromised morally and ethically. The bias and favoritism is everywhere.
If every issue the answer is to hire a consultant, then why do we need staff. Huge waste of taxpayer money! Rooster, build a hotel, buy one and renovate it. The market dictates and right now there is no market and no money. We are so highly regulated building a porch or deck is not worth the investment. Middle ground???? There needs no middle ground, enforce the code on the books! This entire process has been a debacle. Yes former I have watched or attended each meeting. Common sense is the missing element and neither side seems to find it. Not sure who stated “we were here first”? Not an accurate statement unless your a Washoe Indian. Tahoe has been a tourist destination as long as people could get here. The entire Al Tahoe Neighborhood was the Globin Resort. Maybe the city should hire a consultant to confirm that?
Just like hiring an LA Firm to consult the City on Coverage, TAU’s, Commercial Floor Space and the like, these people have no idea what Tahoe is or does. I beg the City and all involved don’t hire a consultant, do not reinvent a new ordinance, please don’t bring a lawsuit. Simply enforce the current code.
Final note…..the shoulder seasons are the main reason that we do not have new or renovated motels/hotels. It is the reason so many businesses fail. Also the reason Vacation Rentals are so popular and the primary destination for visitors.
If city staff does follow through with the slow death of VHR’s it will mean less money in the budget in turn , less staff,
less repairs to the roads. All the while county owned properties continue to rent homes to visitors.
OK..in the spirit of compromise I feel obligated to start talking ‘solutions’….
How about a mandatory video that V-H-home-orrhoids'(copyight pending) are required to watch online at the ‘Ta-Ho South-Yo’ website and take a quiz before they get their keycodes…to give them tips on how to REALLY p!ss us locals off on their drunken soirees into our neighborhoods. Call the video “Preparation T”
Topics such as ‘maximizing drunken decibel levels to account for pine tree diameter’ and ‘semi-naked hot tub party ethics’ and ‘bear-baiting 101’ could be included.
Maybe ‘meet your new neighbor-for-the-weekend mixers hosted by david dewitt’ could be offered too.
Anybody got any other ideas for topics?
Bigfishy1, I have to agree with some of the comments here regarding VHR in residential neighborhoods.
Sure we’re in a resort town and we rely on people coming here, which creates jobs and helps the local economy.
On the other hand it can also disrupt a quiet what was once and peaceful
area and cause the full timers to lose sleep as the VHR people, in some cases, are just here to party and then pack up and leave with their trash left out a week before pick up day. Black bears love this! More garbage left out in the open, more food for the bears!
The VHR dilemma has been here a long time and seems to be increasing in number. It all boils down to foreclosed on homes going up for auction, people bidding on them and getting an old house for cheap then either selling it or turning it into a VHR.
Lets hope the city gets busy collecting TOT fees which can be used to improve our place we call home.. Take care, as always ,OLS
FYI, there has been hotel/motel renovation & investment going on in recent years! The former Royal Valhalla transformed into The Landing is one. The remodel job next to Applebee’s is another. Drive thru Cedar or Manzanita in Stateline, and there are others.
Yes, people have a financial interest in VHR’s. But if money is the purpose for our rules & regs., great! Happy to open a liquor store and/or pot dispensary in my neighborhood!
Consultants have very specific knowledge and experience that staff does not have. To expect city staff to have that detailed knowledge on as many topics as a city faces is ridiculous. Additionally consultants have experience in many more communities and can bring ideas and solutions on how deal with some of these issue. I would prefer the city hire consultants then rely on staff. That’s a no brainier.
Their usually hired guns, you get what you want, you should know slapshot.
How come the people with complaints don’t call the police?
It would be easy to confirm the call and if the police didn’t show up in a timely manner you could address the city council with your concerns.
The money held in reserve from the TOT fund could be used for more police or overtime.
PS
The A$#(*&^s setting off commercial grade fireworks in the trees at the end of Sky Meadows Court at 5:50 Saturday morning were full time resident punks.
I find regular long term rentals can be just as detrimental to neighborhoods as vacation rentals. The good thing about vacation rentals, is that the people who rent them will be gone in a couple of days and vacation rentals are usually only occupied during weekends and holidays. Long term tenants, however will be there for the duration. Ive seen disgusting long term renters who destroy property, deal drugs, grow weed, horde there “garbage” in the back and front yards, etc. Which would you rather have? At least with so many vacation rentals they get spread out through the city.
Ferdinand….I understand your point, there ARE local hillbillies, but for the most part, I can talk to my neighbors and build up a rapport, get to know them a bit, find common ground. Hard to do that when the music is blaring and a dozen people are screaming in various stages of incoherency.
Hordes of garbage? Zombie trash cans in the streets?
Focusing on just two of the above comments, ‘Slapshot’ & Lou Pierini, one tries to inject “objectivity” as a rationale, the other as an observation as to the way this (& many other) town works, forgets one other reason for talking about a ‘consultant’, between the time one is searched for, and the time the report comes out (that may end up collecting dust), that dust settles down, so some will not be riled-up while it’s hot, some others will not be involved any more (i.e., “go away”) – while the issue will not really. . .so what’s the point (?). . .
To educate oneself, read what’s going on elsewhere on the planet – read this past Sunday’s NYT’s Sunday Review section article, “The Revolt Against Tourism” [Elizabeth Becker], a ‘sub-heading’ of which says, “to keep badly behaved visitors in check, officials turn to regulation”, which all too often are put in place as guidelines that can be followed, but can also be considered “merely as”, so heads can be turned away & towards those whose ears are listening to other than reason. . .and the betterment of the overall. . .
I am watching the City Council meeting. Boy, these realtors are really pushing to have these VHR in place. They are using all the scare tactics and baseless facts in an effort to bamboozle the citizenry and the City Council. In my experience these VHRs are disrupting our community. Three on my block and even on a good day the traffic and parking is outrageous. Over the Fourth of July, guns, fires and fireworks.