At tomorrow’s (June 11, 2024) 10 o’clock meeting of county supervisors in San Bernardino, Land Use Services will ask the board to revisit the issue of Short-Term Vacation Rentals and the scarcity of affordable housing for sale or rent in Joshua Tree and other nearby communities.
Last November, a county contractor presented the findings of a federally mandated study of housing in the unincorporated areas of the county. The study aimed to reveal how best to meet housing needs in areas where there are shortages. To the surprise of many, the presenter claimed, among other things, that the proliferation of Short-Term Rentals in and around Joshua Tree had no measurable impact on the scarcity of affordable permanent housing here.
Responding to immediate and credible protest led by the Morongo Basin Conservation Association, Land Use Services took another look at the issue. So at tomorrow’s meeting County Supervisors are expected to hear results of the do-over study, this time showing that short-term rentals have had a significant impact on the shortage of affordable housing here.
And while both Yucca Valley and Twentynine Palms reached that conclusion a few years back and responded by limiting the number of short-term rentals, Land Use Services is recommending Supervisors instead, “augment existing affordable housing programs and consider new affordable housing programs.”
More detail and information on how you can participate in tomorrow’s meeting can be found on the board of supervisors’ agenda which you can access from this link: https://sanbernardino.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx
