||| BY MATTHEW GILBERT, theORCASONIAN OP-ED REPORTER |||


The six-month moratorium on VR rental permits, put in place in January and then limited to urban growth areas and hamlets on Orcas and Lopez, is set to expire on July 13. Council members took up the issue at their June 29 meeting, and a six-month extension has been tentatively approved, pending a July 12 public hearing. As the DCD’s Erika Shook noted, “The Planning Commission (PC) is anxious to start working on this topic.”

Currently on the table are the following two cap proposals:

  • ISLAND BY ISLAND
    • Orcas: 500 total permits (491 currently)
    • San Juan: 500 +/- (385 currently)
    • Lopez: 150 – 200 (130 currently)
  • COUNTYWIDE
    • 1,200

The new resolution draft, with an expiration date of January 13, 2022, adds a work plan that gives county staff time to address “emergency management, impacts to neighborhoods, and impacts to community roads and water systems” along with a simplified code enforcement process for non-compliant VR permit holders. Council member Cindy Wolf noted that Rural Residential areas (such as Rosario Highlands) would not be protected during the extension and felt that waiting another six months for caps to be established was too long. “Why haven’t we moved ahead with (establishing) caps?”

“The Planning Commission needs a hearing to consider the cap issue and make a recommendation, which then has to go back to Council,” responded Shook, though it was never explained why the PC had not already been engaged in that process.

“Can we do this in pieces?” asked Wolf. “Adopt a resolution for caps and then do the rest of it? I’m concerned over the unprotected areas.”

Christine Minney had no interest in such a suggestion. “I need more input from the PC and others to recommend a cap.”

Anecdotally, concerns have been raised that a high proportion of typically vacant summer homes have been sold to off-islanders who have been working remotely, plan to return to their primary residences, but intend to retire here – in the meantime, renting their homes as vacations rentals.

Jamie Stephens wondered if the Council could get something to the PC by Aug./Sept. “They’ve been tracking this and have definite opinions and input.” Shook responded that this was their expectation all along, although “a September hearing is ambitious.”

Wolf pressed on. “Can we modify the ordinance to add Rural Residential (RR)? Failing that, would you consider a moratorium for Orcas?”

Minney again resisted. “I need more time to consider the impacts as well as hear from the attorneys.” Stephens concurred: “I can’t support a countywide extension to include Rural Residential.”

Responded Wolf: “I’m not trying to run over anybody or leave out public input, but the Eastsound and Deer Harbor planning review commissions along with several public hearings (have already agreed on this). I’m asking for protection for Orcas. We can’t find workers for our businesses because they have no place to live.”

Deputy Prosecutor Amy Vera weighed in on this option. “I think the best way is to do a new moratorium and have a public hearing.”

Stephens noted that there is a tentative public hearing already scheduled for July 12 – one day before the original moratorium ends. “Could we use that day?” Yes, according to Vera, adding, “You can extend the current moratorium as it is right now, and if you want a new one, you have to schedule a public hearing within 60 days.”

“I’m not comfortable with pivoting that quickly,” said Minney, referring to expediting a decision on caps by July 12. “We haven’t yet had input about specific numbers or what a cap would look like. Even the PC wasn’t clear.” To which Wolf replied, “The PC has been quite clear, recommending (last year) an immediate cap at the current level (at that time).”

Minney: “Because they didn’t have any answers otherwise.”

Wolf: “That’s what they voted.” She again suggested adopting the current extension as is but adding coverage of RR on Orcas, asking Minney, ““How much more time do you need to decide whether adding RR Orcas to the resolution is acceptable?”

Minney: “I will have conversations outside this meeting with those I need to . . . but I don’t expect it will take long (less than a month).”

Stephens reiterated the role of the July 12 hearing “if nothing else than for the extension of this moratorium. And if before then, we decide to do something different, we can move forward from there.”

The commissioners agreed. The outcome will be one of three: an end to the moratorium, agreement to extend it six months, or a new (and amended) moratorium.


 

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