||| FROM ISLAND STEWARDS |||


San Juan County (SJC) Council will be holding a public hearing via Zoom on Tuesday, Feb. 23 to discuss whether the moratorium on the issuance of Vacation Rental Permits should be maintained or abandoned.

Action Items:

Read the announcement regarding this hearing by the Vacation Rental Working Group.

Review the SJC Vacation Rental Web site.

Participate in this hearing:
Send a letter to the County Council
Sign up to testify via Zoom
(need ideas for what to say? see the comments that other signers have left)
Details

Background:

Visit VacationRentalsOrcas.org for a comprehensive explanation of the public concern about overtourism and the negative impacts of Vacation Rentals in the County.

The hearing on Feb 23 is to determine if the moratorium should continue and be extended until January 2023. The hearing is not intended to discuss possible solutions to the issue, but just whether the moratorium should be maintained.

Since summer 2019, over 3000 individuals have signed a change.org petition to request a moratorium on the issuance of new Vacation Rental Permits.

Read the transcript and/or the summary of the County Council workshop held 11 January 2021 discussing the possible implementation of a VR moratorium.

Washington State’s Growth Management Act (GMA) does not require that a county consider the impact of visitors in long range planning or in a county’s Comprehensive Plan (CP). (There is no GMA prohibition to regulate visitor impacts.) SJC is currently in the process of updating its CP.

presentation in January 2021 reviews big picture issues regarding the county’s population future (i.e., locals and visitors). For a deeper dive, see KeepSanJuansWild.org


 

**If you are reading theOrcasonian for free, thank your fellow islanders. If you would like to support theOrcasonian CLICK HERE to set your modestly-priced, voluntary subscription. Otherwise, no worries; we’re happy to share with you.**