Short-Term Rental Options next Wednesday

Posted on Categories short term rentals, South Oceanside

The council will be voting to enact a new Short Term Rental ordinance for the Coastal Zone on Wednesday April 25. The public hearing will start after 6pm. The full staff report can be found here.

Compared to what came out of the March 25 Planning Commission hearing, Option 1 has significant changes, Option 2 is mostly unchanged, and Option 3 is new. Save South O recommends all South O residents https://savesoutho.wordpress.com/2024/04/19/best-available-fix-for-oceansides-str-problem/contact the Council in support of Option 1.

Option 1

Option 1 has three major changes

  • The cap on total non-hosted STRs west of I-5 is now 480 (about 25 greater than current numbers) rather than 505 (500 greater)
  • Per 24(d)(2), no new STRs are allowed in the R-1 zone, and existing ones cannot be renewed if they changed owners or the owner received permits “to expand the habitable space of the dwelling unit.”
  • An existing STR permitted with more than 5 bedrooms has a maximum occupancy of 14 persons (equivalent to 6 bedrooms), rather than (for example) 18 for 8 bedrooms or 22 for 10 bedrooms.

All three options share a change to 24.2(d), defining a hosted unit.

Option 2

The new definition of a “hosted unit” is

a dwelling unit where the owner of the property occupies the dwelling unit as his or her principal residence and offers a portion of the dwelling unit for short-term rental while remaining on-site. In multi-family residential zoning districts only, the owner may occupy a dwelling unit on the same parcel as the short-term rental unit provided the owner remains on-site during all short term rental stays.

In the existing ordnance, the definition is

a dwelling unit where the owner of the property or their tenant occupies the dwelling unit as his or her principal residence and offers a portion of the dwelling unit for short-term rental while remaining on

Option 3

The staff report summarizes this option as follows

  • Additional non-hosted STRs can be established in any zoning district west of Coast Highway with the exception of the R-1 zone.
  • Existing STR permits for properties in the R-1 zone can continue to operate, without limitation on occupancy related to bedroom count and be renewed subject o the provisions of Section 24.3.
  • No cap on the number of STR permits that can be issued for properties west of bCoast Highway with the exception of the R-1 zone (where additional STR permits for non-hosted STRs are prohibited).

This option is clearly less restrictive than option 1.

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