To the editor:
This is in response to a bulk mailing from Candy Neville and the Yachats Alliance.
In summary, Neville and the alliance argues for unlimited and unregulated vacation rentals as beneficial to the city of Yachats, and that we the citizenry must enable them to continue to benefit financially without regard to hard costs and unintentional consequences to the city and our quality of life.
Proliferation of vacation rentals, after a period of zero regulation, tax collection or oversight, has proved detrimental to the overall quality of life in Yachats, as it has in many other jurisdictions around the world, who similarly seek to limit, regulate and tax vacation rentals.
City induced costs, traffic, services overload, neighborhood quality, inflated home prices, and lack of rentals for year round residency, are some of the real consequences.
Solutions, some of which have already been discussed by the City Council, include retroactive fee and tax collection for years prior to establishment of vacation rental licenses, capping and reducing licenses, phasing out of vacation rentals altogether, and adherence to existing zoning requirements.
I am also in favor of disallowing license transfers, unless on properly zoned properties. Any non-conforming use must complete the existing conditional use procedure.
At one time, I would have been willing to work toward a compromise on this issue, but no longer, I am opposed to any non-conforming rentals in inappropriately zoned areas. I will continue to oppose vacation rentals operated in residential zones, and will also only support candidates for office who agree.
Kevin Cannon, Yachats
