The Twentynine Palms Planning Commission gathered last night to host a public hearing on commercial campgrounds and conduct a thorough examination of Vacation Home Rental violations over the past three years.
Last night’s meeting of the Twentynine Palms Planning Commission covered issues related to housing, camping, and Vacation Home Rental (VHR) violations.
Under the Consent Calendar, the commission briefly discussed the Housing Element Annual Progress Report before forwarding to the City Council. According to state analysis reports, 27 residential units were constructed last year (2023) in the city, and 13 residential units are currently in process. An additional 989 new residential units are needed for the city to meet Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) goals.
Next, there was a public hearing on commercial campgrounds, or rather, Special Occupancy Parks. After hearing from several residents who oppose the idea and having a deeper discussion around appropriate zoning, required amenities, and tourism, the commission directed staff to return with a study session proposal.
Finally, the commission took a deep dive into a three-year database for VHR complaints and violations. Community Development Director Keith Gardner noted that council sent this back to the commission specifically for examination and suggestions. “Before we re-write anything in the (VHR) code, we need to look at what code violations we’re actually facing,” said Gardner. The plan is to make any changes part of the administrative policy and not simply the development code to allow for flexibility and transparency.
Most common complaint? Noise is the big one, followed by Red Tags (unpermitted conversions and modifications), and Unpermitted improvements, such as cowboy pools, spas, and mini splits. The bulk of complaints (31 percent) result in no violation mainly due to what Code Enforcement Officer Chris Junta calls, “Monday morning phone calls.” That is, people who call about noise on a Friday night two days later instead of contacting the sheriff, calling the owner directly, or calling Southwest Security Services, the city’s private firm specifically retained to handle VHR complaints.
Just 7% of complaints result in a ticket or violation due to an inability to verify. There was much discussion about making the document more detailed (add addresses, date of violation, a VHR map, automatic permit revocation for unpermitted building) and available publicly.
The next meeting of the Twentynine Palms Planning Commission is March 19.
