Editor:
Since the summer of 2020, there has been extensive community consultation, surveys, and work by a consulting firm for the update of regulations for short term rentals (STR) in Sechelt. In 2021 the council provided a priority list to guide those STR regulations with number one being encouraging neighbourhood fit. In a March 2022 community survey, 65 per cent of respondents supported this priority list. Throughout the discussions there was strong support for STRs with a permanent resident or owner who live on the STR rental property. There was low support (29 per cent) for commercial (now called Type 3) STRs and 64 per cent of survey respondents objected to the STR commercial category.
Council passed the STR regulations in fall of 2022 that restricted the number of Type 3 STRs to 15 and added the requirement of temporary use permits that included ensuring neighbourhood fit as part of the approval criteria. Eight non-resident STR owners sought a legal judgment about these bylaw changes and the potential exemption of “non-conforming” land use. Supreme Court of B.C. Justice Brongers stated decisively that it was not unreasonable for the District of Sechelt to regulate STR use and dismissed all claims.
During the Feb. 1 council meeting, district staff presented STR applications and provided an evaluation matrix. Council voted to move some forward in principle, despite the lack of completed requirements, and what appears to be a very inconsistent scoring matrix that gives minimal consideration to the actual quality of the STR application.
Council appears ready to ignore the concerns of residents and the judgment by a provincial court judge to allow Type 3 operators an exemption from TUP without any consideration to the number of Type 3 STRs in Sechelt or neighbourhood fit. Why is council more interested in catering to the commercial STR owners who subject our neighbourhoods to the disruptions and challenges of mini-hotels in a residential area, rather than protecting the peace and quiet of neighbourhoods for those that actually live in Sechelt?
Regards,
Diana Mumford, Sechelt
