In West Marin, the county-governed area that has the most short-term rentals, the county has tried to strike a balance.
Marin County’s Board of Supervisors has been wrestling with short-term rentals for a better part of the past decade.
The popularity of such rentals exploded with the advent of online marketing and rental of vacation homes. Renting online through Airbnb and VRBO quickly became dominant options as people shopped for places to stay. For property owners, it became a lucrative way to generate income, either renting out a room, their second unit or their entire home.
In some cases, that income became a way some homeowners could afford their house in this high-priced real estate market.
But there were also complaints.
Local hotel operators complained that online rentals were skirting the lodging taxes they had to pay.
Neighbors complained about noisy gatherings and parking problems with no onsite management to answer their concerns.
There were also complaints that with the popularity of short-term rentals, property owners who had been renting houses to long-term tenants were turning to vacation rentals, a so-called “hollowing out” of Marin’s housing stock.
In West Marin, the county-governed area that has the most short-term rentals, the county has tried to strike a balance.
After months of review, the supervisors have approved town-by-town limits on the rentals.
The limits are not going to make everyone happy.
Many local residents likely would like fewer neighborhood units available as short-term rentals. Landlords don’t want to lose a dependable source of income.
The county’s limits try to put a tighter lid on areas that are not historically known for vacation rentals, while respecting areas such as Stinson Beach or Seadrift where such rentals have long been part of the local economy.
Creating 18 distinct coastal areas was a way to strike that balance.
As Supervisor Dennis Rodoni put it, the attempt was to find “a middle ground.”
County supervisors, however, should not consider the limits as a finished product, but instead a work in progress.
They should review the numbers annually to determine whether there is reason for adjustments, in either direction.
For example, supervisors need to determine whether the limits are affecting the availability of affordable housing. Rents, not vacation rentals, may be a larger factor.
There are also concerns about short-term rentals putting stress on limited local water supplies.
That deserves to be watched, as well.
Visitors spending time and money in local stores and restaurants or for recreational services is a major factor in West Marin’s economy. That business provides income and local jobs. It is aso means visitors need places to stay.
Enhancing public access to the coast is an important priority for Californians and having a reasonable level of lodging is part of that goal.
The time county officials have spent coming up with the caps is a reflection of the effort to strike a balance.
The job of assessing their success is even more important.
