Last night’s Twentynine Palms Planning Commission focused on allowing vacation home rentals in the city. Those who spoke were all in favor of allowing vacation homes, arguing that the city needs to offer a place to experience the beauty of Twentynine Palms. Speakers noted that vacation homes are a major market and will bring in many tourists and help improve neighborhoods by putting unoccupied houses to use, rather than letting them get run down. In addition, residents argued that vacation homes would allow a large family to come and visit a relative in Twentynine Palms without having to cram everyone into one small home. Also, there will be no transient occupancy tax on the homes, only a fee that needs to be paid every other year. Faced with these arguments, the Planning Commission couldn’t find a reason to prohibit vacation rental homes. The Commission will recommend that the City Council hold a public hearing on the issue to possibly reverse the current prohibition on vacation rental homes.
