Planning Commission Approves Vacation Rental Bans in 6 HOAs

BY BREEANA GREENBERG

Six homeowners associations (HOAs) in Dana Point have joined a growing list of communities that have banned vacation rentals following a unanimous vote by the city’s Planning Commission on Monday, June 12.

The commission’s vote approving the six HOAs’ coastal development permits (CDPs) allowing the bans comes four months after the City Council approved programs to regulate vacation rentals.

Unless an HOA’s covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&R) had a prohibition of vacation rentals predating the Coastal Act of 1976, associations must apply for a CDP in order to establish a ban.

Six HOAs—Ritz Pointe Monarch Beach, Marquesa at Monarch Beach, Spinnaker Run, Monarch Bay Terrace, Golden Lantern Villas and Stringer McKenna Portofino—sought CDPs to ban short-term rentals (STRs) on Monday night.

The city estimates there are roughly 52 HOAs within the coastal zone.

The Planning Commission approved CDPs to prohibit STRs in 11 HOAs during its April 24 meeting, accounting for 832 residential units in the coastal zone where such rentals are prohibited. The additional six HOAs represent another 715 units.

Staff noted all applicants for STR prohibitions have bans on vacation rentals in their rules and regulations or CC&Rs.

Two of the six HOAs that now have bans are under the California Coastal Commission’s (CCC) appeals jurisdiction, meaning if the ban were to be appealed, the CCC would have the final say on the matter.

When evaluating each HOA’s permit,

Dana Hills High to Participate in International Pen Pal Program

BY BREEANA GREENBERG

Promoting cultural exchange between Dana Point and its Friendship City, Sorrento, Italy, Dana Point Sister Cities International is launching a pen pal program this fall.

staff looked to see if the associations had historically allowed vacation rentals.

Since these HOAs already had a ban on rentals in their CC&Rs, staff concluded in its report that approval of the permit “would not result in a change or a loss in visitor-serving accommodations or ability to access the coast.”

Additionally, the city’s STR program includes a three-year monitoring provision with the CCC and a one-year program with the City Council, allowing staff to reevaluate the program in the future.

Dave Yokley, president of the Golden Lantern Villas Association, noted his community has never allowed rentals under 30 days since its founding in 1978.

Spinnaker Run HOA resident Carol Wilson said the association consists of many affordable housing units. Wilson argued that allowing the ban would protect affordable housing units.

“Tonight, we’re not reviewing what we did and what changed; those rules are in place, they’ve been in place for months,” Commissioner Eric Nelson said.

Beginning in the 2023-24 school year, Dana Hill High School students will have the opportunity to participate in the pen pal program with students at Marone High School in Sorrento.

Eighteen DHHS students interested in participating completed a survey to be matched with students in Sorrento with similar interests, with whom they will correspond throughout the upcoming school year.

“One of the big things that Sister Cities International promotes, it’s one of the main ways that they make connections between two cities, is through the

Nelson added that he does not feel it’s the commission’s place to tell HOAs to manage their properties.

“In my mind, the HOAs are a choice; people buy into those communities, they buy in for a reason,” Nelson said. “I don’t know anybody’s individual reason, but the rules are the rules, and historically we’ve yielded to HOAs at the commission level.”

“Our STR policy, in fact, the stated rule is that you need to have HOA approval,” Nelson continued. “So, in many ways, not adopting or recommending and approving the CDPs would be in complete conflict with our own policies, which yield to HOAs in this matter.”

Vacation rentals are not new, and the city has previously not issued permits for STRs where HOAs don’t allow it, Nelson added.

“In the case of tonight, each one of these HOAs has demonstrated that they’ve not allowed STRs in their communities,” Nelson said. “We should observe their previous prohibitions.” youth program,” Dana Point Sister Cities President Bob Zasa said.

Zasa explained that when Sister Cities International was created in 1956, the vision was that “if the youth understand each other, (President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s) hope was it would avoid future wars, because people would know each other on a personal basis and think twice about doing bad things to each other, and it would help commerce.”

Dana Point Sister Cities partnered with the local Monarch Beach Sunrise Rotary and Dana Hills High School Interact Club to facilitate the pen pal

Community Meetings

SATURDAY, JUNE 17

Challenging Cancer

10-11:30 a.m. The Challenging Cancer group is conducting weekly meetings through Zoom video conferences. The meetings are open to caregivers, people who have a compromised immune system, and people dealing with cancer. To join, email donnavigil2@gmail.com or linda_crdv@yahoo.com. heritagesc.org.

TUESDAY, JUNE 20

Because I Love You (BILY)

6:30-8:30 p.m. The organization Because I Love You (BILY), which helps parents navigate through whatever parenting challenges they may be facing (e.g., failure to launch, substance misuse, disrespect), conducts its weekly meetings on Tuesdays via Zoom video conference and in person/ Zoom the first Tuesday of each month at the Outlets at San Clemente’s Conference Room. For detailed instructions on how to participate, email bilysanclemente@gmail.com.

Dana Point City Council

6 p.m. The Dana Point City Council will hold its regularly scheduled meeting in the Council Chambers at City Hall. This meeting will also be livestreamed through the city’s YouTube channel. A link for livestreams and replays is available on the city’s website. Dana Point City Hall, 33282 Golden Lantern Street, Suite 210, Dana Point. danapoint.org.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21

VA Disabled Claims Clinic program.

2-4 p.m. The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) 9934 will sponsor a Veterans Affairs Disability Claims Clinic at the Dana Point Community Center the first and third Wednesday of each month. Veterans can walk in and meet with a VFW Service Officer and receive information on how to file a claim for service-related medical issues. Dana Point Community Center, 34052 Del Obispo Street, Dana Point.

Zasa noted that his children enjoyed participating in pen pal programs in high school and still keep in touch with their friends abroad.

As the program launches, Zasa looked to expand and facilitate further cultural exchanges through the Dana Point Sister Cities nonprofit, including visits between students.

For more information on the Dana Point Sister Cities nonprofit or the pen pal program, email Zasa at bzasa@dpsistercities.org or visit danapointsistercities.org.