— from Naomi Aldort —
I have written before with strong conviction to the need to eliminate industry based vacation homes on the islands and the importance of keeping the rural nature of our county as declared in the vision statement, and of supporting local affordable housing.
Now I am writing with what we are learning from the Covid 19 situation; more than ever it is clear that we need a community that can, if necessary, survive without tourism or with much less of it. Right now too many tourists bring in Covid in addition to pollution, noise, traffic etc. We let them in for the economy at the potential cost of lives and quality of life.
We must look at how to keep the islands rural while creating a vibrant local economy by coming up with opportunities for young people and families to live here.
This means ending all vacation homes by off island investors, and rewarding renting year around to local workers, families and young people. We should have a back bone of local economy that can survive without tourists if needed, and is mostly local services for locals; allowing young people and families to live here.
We are living on these islands for the love of rural beauty, quiet, care for nature, clean air, and the remote environment. We are here to be a small community with its own whole life, welcoming guests in a way that helps the economy without destroying the rural nature of the island and the local community coherence.
If we keep the train going where it is going now, we will end up with a retirement unaffordable community served by off island young people. We must change this destination by getting outside of the train and laying new tracks.
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For 20 years, I’ve heard about how we need “vibrant” bases for our economy, other than tourism. I’ve yet to hear of any viable ones. With the exception of having more work-at-home people buy homes here, I cannot think of an industry or business that would thrive here. Agriculture seems the most appealing, but our current farmers struggle. Fishing seems out of the question. The island could certainly use people trained in the construction or equipment servicing trades but available for service calls. I’ve heard of several low-impact businesses that left because of the unavailability of qualified, reliable employees. What other ideas do folks have? We can’t simply keep stating the need.
How many vacation rentals are owned by “industry”? How do we count families who have had their summer homes here for generations? How about people who own and visit in summer and plan to retire here? This is another area about which we’ve heard lots but for which we seem to have little relevant data. To limit VRs, we need to decide criteria and the criteria should be well thought out and must be legal.
Naomi, I’m uncertain just how we would go about “ending all vacation homes by off-island investors.” Who is an off-island investor vs. islanders who wish to sustain themselves by building an “auxiliary dwelling unit” or some other second home for rental? And who is “off-island” anyway? This sounds like some who suggest barring “off-islanders” from using the ferry system to come to the San Juans. What about people from nearby areas who have second homes here? Tourism is not all bad (nor all good), and we need to tread lightly.
Our economy, particularly in its present state (which is likely to persist for an uncomfortable period) is already insufficient except for those whose incomes come from out-of-county, whose investments, retirement plans and/or social security insulates them from local economic survival, and so frees them to seek a further reduction in opportunities for others.
Our county does not produce in value what we consume in value so we render tourist and real estate services to balance the books. Tourists are a burden, and internationally marketed high-end realty (which the county cannot control) skews our housing inventory, but in reality, economics, not aesthetics, rules.
So for starters, BUY LOCAL! If we are the community we say we are or hope to be, we must put our money where our mouth is. Every dollar spent off-island has to be replaced by a tourist dollar here.
Lots of folks agree with you. But, I have yet to see any of them with an idea. Please don’t keep telling us what is wrong, without giving us an idea of how to fix it.
I would like to state who our community is made up of. Artists mainly – including but not limited to: The art of Healing, The art of Hospitality, The art of Cuisine, The art of Music, The art of Literature, The art of Theater, The art of Film, The art of Dance, The art of Visual arts – pottery, metal, painting, jewelry, glass, wood etc., The art of Architecture, The art of Farming and Sustainability, The art of Wildlife and Ocean care, The art of Brewing and Wineries, I have missed several. These are your neighbors and your friends. Without tourism – these artists will likely not thrive. I vote to support our artists – especially locally so they do not feel the overwhelming need to encourage tourism. Until we as a community can sustain our loved community locally without tourism – we must not take away their livelihoods. I for one would miss our festivals and the beauty and bounty that is so wonderfully cultivated here. Our children are blessed by the diversity of the arts.
Bill–I’m not sure how many people are “insulated” from the economic impact of the pandemic–we have yet to see it occur, for one thing. Those who are surviving economically will be the ones propping up County services by paying property taxes. How you jump directly to folks “seek[ing] a further reduction in opportunities for others” is beyond me. Who is seeking to reduce opportunities for young people? And how would they do that, exactly?
Wendy, good point. We so often seem to be talking in circles. Services jobs in the tourist industry are often the first job a young person can get. (I waited tables for 5 years, in high school and college. I learned a lot about the world.) And yes, our diversity (as far as it goes) results in no small part from having so many different artists and writers, and others here.
Here’s a recent snapshot from the state labor market info:
“Similar to the national economy, San Juan County’s largest job-providing sector is private services, accounting for 70.5 percent of all nonfarm jobs. In 2019, the largest industry in terms of average annual employment was leisure and hospitality. This is consistent with the county’s orientation toward tourism. In 2018, leisure and hospitality hosted an average of 1,490 jobs or 25.9 percent. Other large industries include trade, transportation and utilities – which includes retail trade (17.9 percent), government (13.4 percent), construction (12.2 percent) and education and health services (10.6 percent).”
San Juan Makers Guild
I am looking at Wendy’s comment. Yes, we ARE a community of varied artists and I think we need to think of developing the kind of tourism that uses these resources. Madeleine Island in the middle of Lake Superior hosts summer workshops in quilting,photography,plein air painting and more. The Ghost Ranch Center bordering Georgia O’Keefe’s lovely spread does the same. The “tourists” who come are focused, appreciative and spend both time and money while in residence.The Burton property, Orcas Song ,Lum Farm, we have the sites,we need the vision and the support of a more effective Chamber of Commerce and , as important, the volunteer manpower to move from letters to editors to “let’s do it’!
As Bonnie Raitt once sang, “Everyone wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die.” Amen to that.
Since the donkeys have opted not to push for full Federal legalization of the herb, I suggest a practical way to pursue dollars would be to make Orcas the cannabis center of the universe. Cheap to grow, largely no-polluting, and having sampled the cuisine I can attest that the three principle growers on the island know what they are doing.
If Walla Walla can get fat and happy on their wine grapes then Orcas should be able to do the same vis a vis another righteous plant and do so without Federal interference or the heavy tread of Capitalist perdition. If this isn’t opportunity, I am not sure what qualifies.
This, along with electric cars only for tourists, would go a long way towards improving the quality of life here on the rock.
Yes, John Titus–all those basic community needs and more. The problem is that wages are generally not commensurate with the cost of living–particularly housing–for young families. There are simply not enough year-round rentals available to fill the demand.
Peggy, insulation from the virus and insulation from its economic effects are two very different things. Tourism impairs our local experience which many seek to preserve and enhance by restricting tourism which others, usually younger and without independent means, need to survive here. Those with independent means are insulated from the economic effects of the same virus who, being older, are far more vulnerable to it. All pay taxes, all live here, but both tourism (and guest houses) and health concerns divide us.
In specific response to Naomi, I’m saying that nevertheless, we must work together and develop the non-tourist economy that we have. This means buy here, and don’t rush to Costco leaving dollars behind and bringing the virus.
In the 28 years I’ve made Orcas my home, I’ve heard all of this many times before. Just stating the “problem”–however convincingly–doesn’t by itself lead to any real-world solutions. Affordable housing is an admirable goal, but have a look at construction costs here compared to those in nearby counties. “Shop local” initiatives conveniently avoid the fact of high prices for everything here, in large part because of non-standard distribution costs–ferry schedules that result in inefficient trucking procedures.
So real-world solutions, please. Repetition of unworkable plans never solves anything.
Promoting local jobs in an effort to create an economy that doesn’t depend on tourism will not necessarily reduce the over-tourism that we’re experiencing in the San Juans today.
Reducing the amount of promotion, and putting responsible limits on tourism related infrastructure (i.e. transient lodging), and activities (i.e. large annual events) will.
Everybody is entitled to their opinions, and nowhere is it written that says one has to have an answer to the issues at hand. Talking about issues on forums such as this brings about awareness, promotes group think, and also allows those that we elected to handle these problems the ability to see the concerns of the citizenry.
Written comments by citizens over the years that are on record in SJC’s public files tells me that there have been many good ideas offered in the past & up until today in regards to the issues at hand. Ideas offered by well-intentioned, educated, and sometimes professional people… no shortage of ideas.
Well, since we’re talking ideas…
Supporting the local healthcare providers can support the local economy.
If we want to keep people healthy, increase island self-reliance, and help support the local economy at the same time, we should ask the Healthcare District Board to start a program that directs people to our local healthcare providers.
There is so much health and healing knowledge and services available right here in our community. We have movement therapists, nutritionists, herbalists, acupuncturists, chiropractors, and more. Unfortunately, when you go to our local clinic, you are not directed to these wonderful people. They are not considered “mainstream medicine” and are not a part of the clinic to hospital healthcare machine. If Island Hospital gets the contract for our local clinic, these people will continue to be ignored.
These people hold genius health solutions in their hands. Uee them. Support them.
What is the best way forward for our county? Let’s take a close look at our demographics and where our income comes from. I’ve tracked the age of our residents for four decades and there is a consistent progression from a peak of age 30-34 in 1980 to age 60-64 in 2010. That peak is expected to advance again in the 2020 census. An aging population can be expected to increase the need for services, not just government provided services, but services in the private sector as well. Simply stated, seniors cannot do everything for ourselves like we used to and John Titus’ post here gives a hint as to what businesses are needed.
What about our sources of income? There is a persistent belief that we are critically dependent upon tourism. Looking at the numbers, there is less money going home to workers in the tourist industry than there is money going home to seniors in federal and state retirement programs. Our seniors bring more money to the county than tourism and it is year-round.
Continuing…Why do we have such a difficult time attracting service providers to the county? The most obvious reason is the cost of housing. It is very difficult to find year-round affordable housing and the surge in transient housing has exasperated the problem. Out of curiosity, I compiled a list of vacation rentals advertised by the leading vacation rental companies and identified the ownership. Out of 64 vacation rentals on Orcas that I found advertised for the Aug/Sept time frame, 28 (nearly half) had out-of-county owners. How does this improve the housing situation? Answer: It doesn’t! Not only is year round rental housing being removed from the market, the data also shows that many of the homes now being advertised as vacation rentals have been purchased in the last 3 years with the probable motivation of easy profit from the vacation rental market. This inflates property values and further exasperates efforts to own homes for the service providers that we need.
Part of the problem is that vacation rentals are considered a residential use not a business even though an entity may own and operate several vacation rentals and generate income. They not only reduce the supply of long term housing but increase housing costs due to speculation. Families and workers are driven out of the housing market. In contrast bed and breakfasts, resorts, and hotels must be licensed and have strict regulatory controls. Why bother with getting such a license and spend the money to comply when you can just call yourself a vacation rental? It makes no sense. We need to regulate vacation rentals. Rick Hughes says he supports a cap and other controls. Will he act on this BEFORE the November election?
As one of the County Council candidates I have promoted “sustainability ‘ as have all the other candidates. I agree with Naomi and I agree that there has been much ‘talk’ and much “listening” about the reasons and symptoms but there has not been much talk about the solutions. If elected I will call up Naomi and Peg and Bill and John, all the usual suspects and get them together to find solutions. Much like the Vacation Rental Group we need a dedicated group of citizens who can come up with concrete solutions to these issues. The time for listening about problems is over. We need to elect Councilpersons who can listen and act to propel the San Juan Islands into the new twenty first century we find ourselves in. When you vote next week keep in mind that the County needs new faces who can work together with all citizens to tackle these challenges.
I read many of your comments and saw wonderful ideas for a real solution for local economy. I also see some people concluding the extreme, as though we are trying to get rid of tourism or all VR. That is not the idea. We need to uproot those that are profiting from such business without ever living here, and encourage year around rentals (which are often just as profitable anyway). It is not about getting rid of all tourism, but about balance; about providing housing to locals. Right now rentals are gone, they are almost all VR, and respected long time local families are often homeless or have to leave.
Another goal is keeping lodging out of neighborhoods and back where they belong in hotels, resorts and B&B mostly (not only but much more so). The economy was vibrant BEFORE VR existed. We had enough tourists. We are not dependent on VR for tourism to thrive. The amount of lodging was sufficient and created a cap on tourism that was vital and kept local housing available for local families and working people serving the community.
I agree with many of the ideas that are proposed in these comments, and these and others can keep us thriving without damaging our lifestyle and the environment.
By the way, I am personally aware of two families who were forced to leave the island due to lack of housing. And currently, a wonderful family that has served the island for 23 years in the healing arts, is in a motel in Anacortes. Their house was sold and I tried to help to find a house. What I found was MANY perfect houses to fit their needs within residential neighborhoods: ALL turned to VR and unavailable for locals. This is not pie in sky story and an every day issue.
No way to edit the above: I meant: This is not a pie in the sky story, but an every day issue.