CATHEDRAL CITY – With a unanimous vote, the City Council decided to continue the moratorium on short-term vacation rental permits indefinitely until the Task Force created to study the issue has time to meet, review and offer additional suggestions.

There are currently more than 350 short-term vacation rentals in this community.

Chris Parman, communications manager for the city, told Uken Report there are three exceptions to the moratorium:

1. All existing short-term vacation rentals can continue to operate.

2.  All existing short-term vacation rentals can renew their license

3.  The city will continue accepting short-term vacation rental applications within Homeowner Associations that specifically allow short-term vacation rentals.

The issue of short-term vacation rentals is not unique to Cathedral City or the Coachella Valley. San Diego; Sedona, Ariz.; Laguna Beach; Olympia; and other cities across the country are dealing with the explosion of vacation rentals and the issues associated with them.

Vacation Rental Permits Halted Indefinitely in CC

Charles McClendon

City Manager Charles McClendon has appointed an ad hoc task force specifically charged with studying the issues surrounding STVRs and preparing recommendations for consideration. The task force will complete its assignment within six months.

Staff has been monitoring the issue on a state and local level for some time now. What began as a very incidental use in residential neighborhoods has become a trend, which under certain circumstances can have an overall negative impact on the welfare of the community, according to McClendon.

Generally, two areas of concern related to an increase in issuance of  permits have been identified, public nuisance issues and density, McClendon noted in his staff report. Nuisance issues include noise complaints, habitual party houses, trash, parking and debris. A review of the current  regulations and conditions may identify solutions to alleviating complaints including addressing short-term vacation rentals that revolve around too many units in certain locations. Density concerns relate to the number of vocation rentals in any given area and the availability of parking and other city services.

Between January and May 2019, the city received 36 noise-related calls from 22 rental properties. Six of those account for two-thirds of the complaints.

On Dec. 31, 2019 in Palm Desert, all existing permitted short-term rentals (STRs) within the R-1 and R-2 zones will terminate in the city. After that date, all STRs will be prohibited within those two zones.

Palm Springs voters went to the polls in June 2018. They rejected a ban on short-term vacation rental units.

 

Image Sources

  • Charles McClendon: City of Cathedral City
  • Short-term Vacation Rental: NBC San Diego