The takeaway from Tuesday night’s Santa Barbara City Council meeting was clear: Those who operate short-term vacation rentals in neighborhoods not designated for such business ventures ought to prepare for a beefed-up crackdown by municipal zoning-code enforcers. Even more clear was why councilmembers voted unanimously to bolster these enforcement efforts with an extra $180,000. It all came down to Santa Barbara as a world-class dart on the vacation map and an even better place to call home.
“Our history of very strict zoning has helped create this very desirable place,” Councilmember Dale Francisco said, as he explained adverse impacts to residential neighborhoods if the city continues allowing homeowners to add their houses to the burgeoning short-term rental market. Councilmember Randy Rowse added that when he bought his Mesa home, he did so with the expectation that the residential neighborhood would never legally tolerate, for example, a moped repair shop in his next-door neighbor’s garage. The city has places for businesses and places for family homes, he said.
The councilmembers’ motion also provided a transition period, until the end of next year, for existing vacation-rental providers who’ve played above the board — securing business licenses and paying transient occupancy taxes — but who, through no fault of their own, can’t legally operate in neighborhoods zoned residential. In fact, the city has issued permission and collected taxes — $1.2 million last fiscal year — at the same time its zoning code prohibited those short-term rentals. “We are not of clean hands,” said Councilmember Gregg Hart.