Next community conversation about vacation rentals: Honoring our shared vision

Wednesday, September 25, 6: 30 – 8:30 p.m., Orcas High School Cafeteria

— from Island Stewards —

Moving forward…Get ready for a second Community Conversation about vacation rentals!

We heard your call for more information about potential options for controlling various aspects of short-term vacation rentals: What is San Juan County doing to address these problems and what are other communities doing? What are the most viable approaches to achieve balanced growth and maintain environmental quality?

During the first meeting on July 17th island residents identified pros and cons of short-term vacation rentals, viewed presentations about the trends and impacts of vacation rentals in the county, and were introduced to some ways that other communities are managing the negative impacts of vacation rentals. A description of the first meeting is available at vacationrentalsorcas.org under the Events Tab (July), where you can read a summary of the findings.

Here is the Wednesday meeting agenda:

GOALS FOR THIS MEETING:

Hear answers to your key questions from the July 17 meeting
Learn about options for addressing negative impacts of VRs
Rank goals and regulations that you think are most important

6:30 – Opening and Ground Rules Diane Berreth

6:32 – Introduction Yonatan Aldort

6:42 – Answering Key Questions from July meeting
How the County is currently regulating VRs, and what is
different between the County and Eastsound UGA 20 min Erika Shook
Impacts on housing for year-round residents 10 min Lynnette Wood
Impacts on Water Use 10 min Paul Kamin
Impact on the community: “Overtourism” 10 min Greg Oakson

7:30 – TABLE DISCUSSIONS:

7:45 – Introduce possible new regulations to
reduce negative impacts of VRs Jeni Barcelos

8:00 – VOTE TO WHAT YOU WANT ACCOMPLISHED:

8:20 – Closing and Next Steps Yonatan Aldort

MISSION

Mobilizing our community to regulate vacation rentals in a manner that protects our rural character, environment and culture in the San Juan Islands.

The Vacation Rental Work Group

Community Conversations is sponsored by Island Stewards (islandstewards.org), a 501(c)(3) non profit.