Mailbag: Short-term rentals don’t fit in residential areas

The agenda for Tuesday’s Laguna Beach City Council meeting includes a review of the revised draft of the city’s short-term lodging ordinance for further direction and modification.

Council members voted unanimously at their Aug. 18 meeting to restrict short-term rentals in residential zones. Now, some in the community say that allowing these vacation rentals anywhere in the city is a “property rights issue.”

There is no property right in a residential zone to rent for fewer than 31 days. That is a common residential zoning stipulation. The owners of 13,000 residential properties in Laguna do have the property right to rely on the zoning that describes what is allowed on their property.

Laguna Beach’s Municipal Code states that an R-1 zone “is intended to provide a quiet living environment free from rooming and boarding houses, commercial and industrial activities...” Short-term rentals operating in residential areas of the city are in direct conflict with this objective.

If you care about quality of life in Laguna Beach and the ongoing lack of affordable rental for residents, please let City Council members know how you feel and submit testimony at next Tuesday’s meeting.

Irene Bowie

Laguna Beach

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