Letters: Realtors take issue with SLT VHR rules
To the community,
The South Tahoe Association of Realtors (STAR) is opposed to the moratorium on multi-family units being allowed to operate as vacation home rentals (VHRs), recently adopted by the South Lake Tahoe City Council.
STAR, a not-for-profit trade organization that represents more than 300 Realtor members, wants to make it clear, to the City Council and the public, that we support affordable and workforce housing in South Lake Tahoe and recognize that there is a housing crisis; especially the lack of available long-term rentals. STAR is a member of, and supports the St. Joseph’s Community Land Trust, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to make home ownership and rentals affordable today and for future generations. SJCLT acquires or develops properties and programs to help address the lack of affordable housing. STAR collaborated with SJCLT to help them build their first demonstration home, including procuring
grant funds from the California Association of Realtors Housing Affordability Fund.
STAR members have also volunteered and served on various Affordable and Workforce Housing Task Force committees in the past, including with Tahoe Tomorrow, the chamber of commerce and other organizations, in conjunction with the TRPA.
These Realtor volunteers and community leaders collaborated to find and advocate for practical solutions.
These efforts halted when the Great Recession hit, and housing prices dropped dramatically. The focus shifted elsewhere.
STAR’s mission is to educate its members and the public; advocate for private property rights and home ownership; contribute to the community’s wellbeing; uphold professional standards; thereby providing resources enabling our members to serve the public and work together cooperatively.
While we support affordable and workforce housing development and retention, STAR is opposed to the ordinance recently adopted by the city, which is essentially a moratorium on allowing multi-family properties to operate as a VHR. We agree that these properties are good candidates for longterm rentals, but we take issue with the fact that the city is taking away an owner’s option to choose.
The city has already impinged on property rights to such an extent that there is little tolerance for further limitations.
It should be left up to each property owner to make the decision to long term rent or not. VHRs of this size typically are not revenue producers, and are not the source of nuisance issues such as excessive noise, trash or parking, due to lower occupancy.
Only 55 of 1,800 VHRs are multi-family units. Many owners, given the choice of leaving the property vacant or longterm renting, will opt to leave it vacant so that they will still have a place to stay when they visit Tahoe.
This ordinance will not achieve the results desired by the city. We cannot regulate our way out of this incredibly complicated problem that is faced by all popular resort destinations. We implore that the city appoint a special task force and allow Realtros to work with them, and all stakeholders, toward finding alternate solutions to South Lake Tahoe’s housing availability problem. A viable solution will have incentives, rather than further limitations on private property rights, with more regulations for property owners to navigate.
Thank you for your time, attention and consideration.
Ellen Camacho, 2016 STAR president
Keep pushing Ellen for more VCR’s and prepare for a citizens initiative to outlaw all VCRs. Is that what you really want? The city council understood that reality and passed modest appropriate legislation which still didn’t go far enough to rein in the continual, ongoing nuisances and disturbances. Of course VCRs shouldn’t be in multifamily apartments or R-1 zoning. Keep pushing for those dollars and you will suffer income reduction in the long run.
Would love to see the economic ramifications of outlawing VCR’s. That would be helpful to shaping the discussion.
outlaw Video Cassette Recorders?
Carl, I believe the part of the economic ramifications relate to the fact that people who wait on these visitors can’t recharge their batteries after waiting on them. Years ago I waited on visitors, but I was able to recharge my batteries on my days off by being away from stress and visitors. Now, visitors are literally in my own back, front and sideyards, and I can’t get away from it.
Some day, I’ll tell you how grateful that I wear glasses, after visitors stuffed beer bottles next to my mailbox – I found them the next day with my snowblower, after about an 8 inch snowfall.
When you can’t recharge your batteries, wind up your smile, and get ready to give exceptional customer service, our economy, our residents, and our community suffer.
I love our visitors, but I love our community equally. There needs to be a balance sought and achieved.
Passion I agree with the need to find balance, I am just thinking we need to have all the information if people are suggesting a ballot measure to ban them.
The VHR mess is all about greed, led by realtors and contractors. They don’t care what impact they have on neighborhoods, full time residents or Lake Tahoe as a whole-the very place they all say they love. In reality VHR’s are destroying the entire Lake Tahoe Basin. “Single Family Homes” need to be just that, built for a SINGLE family. Not these 5,6, even 10 bedroom motels going up everywhere, squeezed onto any lot a contractor can find. These single family homes are allowed to sleep 2 people per bedroom, 2 in the living room plus 2 extra. That means 14 people in a 5 bedroom. Single family?, baloney. Get these people and their cars and their partying out of our neighborhoods.