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Moratorium on new STRs

Editor: This letter was sent to Sechelt mayor and council. Mayor Siegers is to be applauded for asking our planning staff at the Feb 3 council meeting to work on a revamped zoning bylaw “sooner rather than later.

Editor:

This letter was sent to Sechelt mayor and council.

Mayor Siegers is to be applauded for asking our planning staff at the Feb 3 council meeting to work on a revamped zoning bylaw “sooner rather than later.”

Recognizing that the rewriting of the zoning bylaws is a difficult and time-consuming task and could realistically take the best part of this year, council should enact an immediate moratorium on new applications for short-term rentals (STRs) in residential zones. This will prevent new operators from trying to get ahead of any potentially, stricter rules.

Proposed changes to the zoning bylaws covering STRs must state that the owner/operator be onsite and not a “contact nearby.” This will discourage absentee owners from turning single-family homes in residential areas into small hotels and it will reduce the number of so called “party houses” on the Coast. It will also eliminate the need for neighbours to become the designated “complainers” to the bylaw officers.

During this process, council and planners need to keep the words of Area E (Elphinstone) director Donna McMahon firmly in mind, “If we allow STRs in residential areas, we are basically making a mockery of our own zoning.”

According to Area B (Halfmoon Bay) director Lori Pratt, there were 90 Airbnb listings in Welcome Woods alone last fall. It begs the question – how many are currently operating in the District of Sechelt and will they be “grandfathered” from any future zoning changes?

Martin & Deirdre Mendes, Sechelt