Ordinance Background

The Department of Planning and Sustainablilty has introduced new legislation and changes to existing legislation that address the ever changing residential landscape. The entertainment landscape has shifted since the COVID-19 pandemic, with many traditional commercial venues closing or reducing operations. Residents are increasingly using their homes and outdoor spaces for gatherings and social events. Travel patterns have also evolved, with a growing number of visitors utilizing residential homes for short-term lodging. These trends create new opportunities but can also introduce impacts related to noise, traffic, parking, and neighborhood character.

The county is advancing a three-part policy update which are text amendments titled:

• Short-Term Rental
• Residential Entertainment
• Chronic Nuisance Properities

Together, these proposed policies establish definitions, regulations and enforcement for Short-Term Rentals, Residential Entertainment, and Chronic Nuisance Properities. While these policies support each other they are to be considered separately. As draft ordinances, they may continue to evolve throughout the lesgislative review processand adoption process.

Summary

What is a Short-Term Rental?

A short-term rental (STR) is the rental of any room, lodging, or overnight accommodation for 30 consecutive days or less. This includes vacation homes, residential dwellings, guestrooms, or overnight lodging advertised through platforms such as Airbnb, Booking.com, VRBO, and others.

What is Residential Entertainment?

A single-family, two-family, or multi family dwelling unit, including all accessory structures and the lot on which the dwelling unit is located, which is used for the purpose of hosting as a large-scale commercial event; including but not limited to a wedding ceremony/reception, birthday celebration, pool and/or outdoor party where a fee is charged by the owner/lessee to the event's host for the use of the dwelling unit, whether or not the individual attendees are also charged an entry fee to the event. This shall not include events for 510(c)(3) non-profits or business, civic, professional, or political organizations or campaigns.

What is a Chronic Nuisance Property?

Any parcel, dwelling, or structure on which three (3) or more documented nuisance incidents and or violations occur within any one hundred eighty (180) day period, or five (5) or more documented nuisance incidents occur within any twelve (12) month period, as documented by County departments.

Zoning

Residential Entertainment: Permitted with a Special Administrative Permit (SA) in the following zoning districts; (RE) Residential Estate; (OI) Office Institutional; (OIT) Office-Institutional-Transitional; (M) Light Industrial; (M-2) Heavy Industrial.

Short-Term Rental: Permitted as an accessory use (Pa) in the following zoning districts: (RE) Residential Estate; (RLG) Residential Large Lot; (R-100) Residential Medium Lot-100; (R-85) Residential Medium Lot-85; (R-75) Residential Medium Lot-75; (R-60) Residential Small Lot; (RSM) Small Lot Residential Mix; (MR-1) Medium Density Residential-1; (MR-2) Medium Density Residential-2; (HR-1 ) High Density Residential 1,2,3; (MPH) Mobile Home Park; (RNC) Neighborhood Conservation.