Editor:
We’ve live in Sandy Hook for 40 years. We’ve seen many changes over the years, most for the better. One change has been terrible. Short-term vacation rentals are impacting almost every street in this community.
I live near a vacation rental that was built as a single-family dwelling in the 1990s. Almost immediately it served as a vacation rental – short-term customers, but long-term negative impacts. These commercial motel-like operations are anything but “short term.” They are operated at full capacity consecutively for months on end.
The impacts include excessive demands for parking. Often four or five cars arrive. On one occasion 10 cars transported the army of people for a multi-day party vacation. Noise is a frequent problem from those here to party with friends in the “wilderness,” with little concern that this is a long-established residential neighbourhood. There is no site manager, no posted number to call to complain to the owner. Garbage and recycling is often a mess.
A motel would actually behave much better. They would be more regulated with a site manager, adequate parking and the appropriate zoning to support such a use. But we did not purchase in a motel zone, nor did the Sandy Hook residents bank on single-family homes being converted to revolving door, nightly party bunkhouses.
How do vacation rentals contribute to a better Sechelt? My guess is that the economic gains range from little to none. People arrive with their goods from Vancouver and leave their garbage behind.
Vacation rentals ought to be zoned as such. They should be required to go through the full rezoning process, allowing neighbours to comment on the specifics of land use conversion from single family to vacation rental. The peace and enjoyment of our community is at great risk. The District of Sechelt has created this problem and must now correct the problem with meaningful, substantial changes.
Bob and Linda Patrick, Sechelt
