To the editor:
I recently retired as a realtor in Waldport after 54 years. I think the vacation rental phase out under Ballot Measure 21-203 was not only poorly written but defeats the purpose of our coastal communities.
LUBA’s decision was just a small technicality. The bigger issue is property rights and this hasn’t been addressed and I won’t get into that here.
Being a part-time resident in Kona, Hawaii, my wife purchased a home in a residential neighborhood to be used as a vacation rental and a part-time residence. Shortly after that, the County of Hawaii passed an ordinance banning vacation rentals in residential zones but grandfathering existing vacation rentals. To inventory the vacation rentals, the ordinance stated that to be legal vacation rentals had to be licensed and that existing vacation rentals had six months to fill out an extensive application form and pay a $1,000 fee in order to be legal. Then annually the vacation rental fee was $500.
The county’s Planning Department handled the paperwork and the enforcement and the fees were to go to that department. The fees were applied to all vacation rentals in any zone as the county wanted an exact inventory.
Lincoln County and the Measure 21-203 folks may want to take a look at this. Right now on the Big Island, there is a 10 p.m. ban on any noise at all and it is enforced as the renters will be kicked out immediately if they create any problems.
My wife ended up selling the vacation rental and buying another home that is just a second home. As a side note, I always found it interesting that people who retire here have found their little paradise and do not want anything to change. Unfortunately that’s not the real world.
— Phil Spulnik/Waldport
