An ordinance on vacation rentals like Airbnb and VRBO is closer to being enacted in Paso Robles after four years and 29 meetings on the issue.
The City Council on Wednesday approved a version of the ordinance, following a meeting that lasted past midnight.
There are currently more than 300 rooms available to rent on Airbnb in Paso Robles.
City council took up recommendations from planning commissioners on what the ordinance for vacation rentals should outline but the meeting included changes.
“I think the difference last night wasn’t just two sides, it was several sides,” City of Paso Robles City Manager Tom Frutchey said. “The compromise moved just a little bit, but a lot less than people think.”
Homeshares, where the owner is on site, for example, can be in all zones.
Owners also have the option to act like non-host properties 30 days each year.
For the next two years, all licensed non-host accommodations will be allowed to continue operating.
The city believes it will see attrition over that span.
The ordinance will expire in 2022, bringing city leaders back to the table to see where to go next.
“The industry should have settled and so I think we’ll have a much better feel where the industry is and where the community is at that point,” Frutchey said.
But it could come at the expense of the homeowners and those operating the vacation rentals.
Carolyn Dismuke who operates a Homeshare and is one of hundreds of residents with a vested interest in the outcome.
“We’re going to have to see how this all works out,” Carolyn Dismuke, a Homeshare owner, said. “If people have to sell their homes and move out, and they have to sell short or for less than they want all because of these rules, then the market is going to decline and I don’t know if the neighbors want that either.”
The ordinance also establishes a hotline for people to call if a neighbors have complaints.
The next meeting is June 18.
New rules to take effect this week for short-term rentals in Paso Robles
