The topic was short-term vacation rentals and there was no shortage of public input at yesterday’s meeting and public hearing for the County Planning Commission. Reporter Mike Lipsitz fills us in…
The issue is an amendment to the County Development Code which would revise the regulations for Short-Term Residential Rentals, those renting for 30 days or less, and expand the code to include the Desert Region. Yesterday’s meeting took place in San Bernardino, but it was standing room only at the video conferencing center at the county building in Joshua Tree where dozens gathered to observe the proceedings and register their comments via live video feed. When it was over, one thing was clear: operating conditions in the desert are not all the same as those in the mountain region where such a code has been in force. The Planning Commission directed Land Use Services to clean up and clarify some of the language in the proposed amendment and bring it back for consideration. When they do, it is all but certain that property owners who lease accommodations through Airbnb and the like will need to operate under a new set of rules.
