Eastsound Planners Face Mix of Transient Lodging, Affordable Housing and Tourism

Next EPRC meeting, Thursday June 4 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Eastsound Fire Hall

 — by Margie Doyle —

At the last Eastsound Planning and Review Committee (EPRC) meeting on May 7, the subject of transient lodging, vacation rentals, regulatory oversight and ultimately affordable housing was discussed by the county advisory committee.

John Campbell, island architect and member of the Eastsound Design Review Committee, another county advisory committee, questioned whether transient lodging in village residential zones will be prohibited in the new version of the Eastsound Subarea Plan, a planning and visioning document created in 1990. (The EPRC has been in the long process of revising the subarea plan so that it may be adapted more easily to county regulations regarding changing plans in Eastsound.)

Campbell pointed out that transient lodging in the Eastsound village residential zones is now allowed as a conditional use. He asked if the change in the update (disallowing such use) was a deliberate decision; and further, how the rules distinguish “transient lodging” from “vacation rentals.” Campbell said that as a vacation rental, it is allowed to rent a guesthouse OR a main house “but not both.”

EPRC member Fred Klein said his understanding was that the revision was a “terminology simplification between the Eastsound Sub-area Plan and the [County] Comprehensive Plan… there is no substantive change for conditions of approval.”

Campbell asked for further clarification on whether on not transient housing will be conditionally permitted in the future as it is now. In discussion among EPRC members (which included new members Martha Fuller and Bob Maynard) it was noted that transient lodging allows up to six rooms in the principal residence of the operator with food service limited to breakfast — practically speaking, a B&B. Newer versions of the update say 2-5 rooms are allowed in the principal residence to be considered “transient lodging.”

EPRC chair Clyde Duke asked that Campbell state his concern in written form to evoke a clear response. Questions about the new subarea zoning definitions continued and the meeting was reminded that the latest version of the subarea plan is to go before the Planning Commission in August, before proceeding to the County Council for official action.

Campbell said to the EPRC members, “I’m anxious to get your view, because by the time it gets to the Planning Commission, your opinion is pretty powerful.”

Later in the meeting, County Councilman Rick Hughes addressed the development in recent years of transforming residences into vacation rentals or transient lodging through internet services such as AirBnB.  In the last five years there has been a boom of over 200  applications for vacation rental permits. Hughes said a public-private  task force  to help implement transient lodging permits and assure compliance with state and local lodging tax laws is working with the county’s Chambers of Commerce to see that the growth in transient lodging doesn’t create unworkable demands on local infrastructure, such as waste disposal, traffic, parking, safety and housing. Members of the task force are Richard Fralick, Deborah Hopkins Buchanan, Milene Henley,  Sue Kollett, Sarah Farish, and Sam Gibboney. The resolution is designed to ensure that transient lodging:

• meets legal standards
• is county-permitted
• meets fire inspections
• provides for garbage disposal
• addresses guesthouses outside the county’s Urban Growth Areas (UGA)

Hughes said, “With the County Comprehensive Plan to be updated in the next two years…. where do we put affordable housing? Do we expand or shrink the subarea? [The EPRC] is already thinking about this; and this is the kind of help the county needs in formulating the future.”

Yet, Hughes added “It’s hard to tell someone they can’t rent their property if it’s what is currently allowed.”

Local business owner Steve Pearson commented, “We’re already stuck with a shortage of rental housing. There’s a whole section of the island population “just above affordable housing that can’t find a place to live.

With the advancement of broadband, this place is on the verge of a big opportunity and we have to do something where we move ahead, rather than going around in circles.”

Hughes cited some of the concerns regarding planning for housing: density in the Eastsound UGA; R-40 density in Eastsound. “Where do we want to put that density; where do we want  residences? Where do we put commerce? What are your goals and policies?”

Duke said that with long-term renters being evicted in May to provide for vacation rentals, there is “the absolute challenge of people being removed from housing where they’ve lived for 2-3 years. We’re  at a tipping point this year.

“What can be done to create an atmosphere to enable young families to live here even as rentals? It creates a challenge in the community, among those who are the stakeholders.”

EPRC member Jobin Suthergreen asked, “How much tourism is enough? If we continue to grow tourism as our main crop, can we afford to live here, to work here?”

At the next EPRC meeting this Thursday, the “right” formula for tourism, housing, jobs and infrastructure is sure to come up again.

Greg Ayers will be the new Chair of  the EPRC, and Clyde Duke will be Assistant Chair. The public is welcome to attend the regular monthly meeting.