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This week’s listings on the back page
Planners divided in vacation rental strategy
Cheers to Christmas joy
BY LEA BOYD
“I disagree with the idea that we should wait until we have problems and then solve them,”
Two suggested courses of action arose from the three planning commissioners present at Monday night’s meeting to discuss how to address the issue of vacation rentals reducing long-term housing stock and having deleterious effects on residential neighborhoods. The two approaches endorsed by commissioners vary from allowing up to 195 to 320 vacation rentals in the area south of Highway 101. In October, the City –– Commissioner Council implemented a Benefield moratorium on any new vacation rentals in order to avoid a mad rush for new permits on vacation rentals while staff researched and drafted an ordinance to amend city code. The city currently has 218 legally operating short term rentals. Other cities around the world are also grappling with the issue of vacation rentals. Rising popularity of websites such as airbnb and Vacation Rental By Owner has led to the conversion of homes to short term rentals. As a result, cities have suffered the loss of workforce housing, and new noise and parking nuisances have cropped up in neighborhoods. Enforcement of unlawful vacation rentals has proven difficult. Cities have struggled to identify illegal rentals, connect with owners and ascertain if the use is within the definition of a short term rental, which is 30 or fewer night stays. Mayor Gregg Carty now has the authority to sign and issue subpoenas for certain records related to the rentals, which should be useful in stepping up enforcement. Commissioner Jane Benefield spoke in favor of adopting a more stringent code restricting vacation rentals to the beach neighborhood and one portion of downtown and capping the amount at 20 percent of the units in those areas. She advocated for raising penalties for violations and the cost of permitting and requiring rentals to follow several operating procedures, such as posting manager contact information outside the building and restricting the number of vehicles renters can have. Lighter regulations and greater flexibility were proposed by the commission’s Vice-Chair John Callender and echoed by Chair John Moyer. They suggested opening the areas south of the highway zoned for Planned Residential Development—which includes 1,611 units in higher density areas—to a maximum of 20 percent vacation rentals.
PLANNING continued on page 6
ANTONY MARCHIANDO
On stage at Plaza Playhouse Theater, the Crachits raise a cup during last Saturday’s performance of “A Christmas Carol” and have Ebenezer Scrooge almost ready to imbibe some of the joy into his cold heart. The production, directed by Asa Olsson and Hanne Pitcock, is a cherished local tradition that gives dozens of thespians young and old an opportunity to claim a piece of the spotlight. Performances continue this weekend. See Events on pages 8 and 9 for details.
Aragon beauty is Lookin’ Good
The front yard of Deana Rae and Robert Shroll on Aragon Drive went from a wasteland of drought-sensitive sod to a dreamscape of drought resistant succulents over the last couple years. A Lookin’ Good Award from Carpinteria Beautiful was planted in the yard last week, the finishing touch to a project that Rae described as a “labor of love.” Rae, a self-taught gardener who grew 75 percent of the plants she used from cuttings, said she is really honored to have been selected for this award. “It means so much, because I started this project to save water, plant my favorite plants in the ground and inspire others. We don’t need a big water sucking lawn for our landscapes The front yard of Deana Rae and Robert Shroll’s home has to look beautiful. I like my garden because gone from drab to fab in the last few years. it feeds the worms, bees, butterflies and birds. And it’s a living sculpture right out my front door,” she said. scape got an attractive overhaul in July of 2014, which Landscaping transformation ideas began sprouting was followed by removal of the lawn and the planting in Rae’s mind as soon as she and Shroll bought the of succulents and cactus in two phases. Rocks, gravel home in October of 2011. Ideas were first channeled into and whimsical garden art complement the plants. Rae a test garden, which confirmed that succulents could has blogged about the full process at deanaraedesigns. thrive in the yard’s mixture of soil and sun. The hardblogspot.com. ––Lea Boyd