Article courtesy of The Patch, April 13, 2023
Marin County's Community Development Agency is planning to create new regulations for short-term rentals across the county, which are due to the Board of Supervisors before the end of the year.
Nearly four years ago, the CDA passed an ordinance restricting new registration and licenses for rentals used for 30 days or less, like those typically booked through Airbnb or VRBO. A moratorium for new short-term rentals went into place for West Marin last year.
The new ordinance would end that moratorium and replace the 2018 rules with updated regulations. According to CDA planners, the agency is trying to balance impacts on the housing supply with other economic factors.
County officials note the lack of affordable workforce housing in West Marin has been at "crisis level" for years, which is an issue that residents have made clear to supervisors and planners. That housing gap, the CDA says, has led to few first responders who can afford to live in the community, making it a challenge to provide vital services.
"The rentals are an important source of income throughout our county and helps overall affordability," said Kathleen Kilgariff, a CDA planner. "However, some see them as an impediment to expanding existing housing stock, especially affordable units for the local workforce."
The pending regulations have proven to be a hot topic in Marin County, eliciting more than 1,400 survey responses in this month alone. The CDA is hoping to hear from more neighbors through the end of the month. The survey is available online, and hard copies are stocked at local libraries.
The CDA will be developing focus groups next month, and residents interested in joining one can email staffers for consideration.
