— from The Vacation Rental Work Group —
Per the request of County Council, the Vacation Rental Working Group has developed regulatory language and sent recommendations in Mid-December 2019 to Council.
There is no guarantee that the Council will consider either the regulatory language or a moratorium. Additional public input requesting a moratorium is essential.
As of 28 December 2019, almost 1900 people have signed the petition. If you haven’t already, sign the petition to request that the San Juan County Council immediately pass a moratorium on the issuance of new Vacation Rental Permits
What we have done:
Deliver draft regulations and present them to the County Council in January 2020 with a request for an immediate moratorium while they consider the regulations.
What you can do:
1. Reach out to your network: parents, kids, neighbors, co-workers, family members, close friends who identify with our collective vision, and ask them to sign the petition. We have to make it impossible for the Council to ignore or minimize the impact of unlimited(*) vacation rentals. Use your favorite outreach platform (FB, Instagram, email, phone, face to face!)
Want some handout materials? Download a flyer (2 per page) and/or business cards (10/page); print at home, cut up and have handy to give out!
2. Tell us where you live and how to contact you! Change.org knows your email address, but unless you checked the box by the text “Please share my name and email address with Orcas Island Vacation Rental Working Group, so that I can receive updates on this campaign and others”, we don’t know what island you are on or how to contact you. You can contact us by filling out the form on the VacationRentalsOrcas.org web site, or just send an email to “vacationrentalsorcas@gmail.com” with your name and location (island or connection to the san juans). Our only means of reaching out to you is to do updates through change.org. We’d rather go straight to you!
We especially need to contact locals on Lopez and San Juan Island.
3. We need volunteers! People who have talents, networks, skills, and interest in keeping the county small, slow and sweet. People who are willing to walk the “we need action” talk. People who want to ensure that the Council is responsive to the voters.
4. Donations most welcome! All the work in hosting conversations, producing materials, creating and improving the web site, strategizing and outreach is done by volunteers. We have real expenses (printing, child care, web site, food, space rental): any funds you donate are tax deductible and help advance our collective cause: inform, inspire, involve. You can donate here!
Please take action now! Everything you do helps move the needle.
(*) There are no limits on the number of vacation rental permits issued by San Juan County to any person or investor, regardless of where they live, how many VR permits they already have, whether they are sharing their home or have a separate house for guests, how many are already in their neighborhood, what the impact on water supply and/or septic system, whether permitted by their HOA, or by any other restrictions.
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 vacationrentalsorcas.org
**If it wouldn’t cause you financial distress to take out a modestly-priced, voluntary subscription (HERE), you’d be doing a real service. If it would, then no worries, we’re happy to share with you.**
This is the most impressive outline of groundwork laid and an action plan established that I have seen in this County for years; maybe ever. Huge thanks to the Orcas Island Vacation Rental Working Group for your work to date. Now it’s up to us to get off our rears and help to realize a vision of “small, slow and sweet” that is inclusive of all the elements of a vibrant community.
I hope the current holders of vacation rental permits will get together and focus their efforts on designing regulations and practices for their industry that will serve as a model for communities in other Counties. And further, I hope that our elected representatives will realize that they have a choice here. They could be a part of something really good.