Letter: EDC needs to reel in VHRs
To the community,
In writing this letter, I am only expressing my own opinion and not that of any organization or entity.
Vacation home rentals (VHRs) in El Dorado County are out of control. As is evidenced by the number of residents complaining about noise, parking, trash, over-occupancy, etc., it is time for our government representatives to act and change the current ordinance to respect our rights to live in peaceful neighborhoods.
Leona Allen at her parents’ property, which is now a garden in the burn area. Photo/Susan Wood
There are many issues surrounding VHRs that need to be addressed, but I believe public safety should be in the mix. Visitors to our area do not understand our fire danger predicament, and are often negligent when it comes to the use of campfires, charcoal briquet and ash disposal, propane use, discarding of cigarettes, and illegal fireworks. In addition, the overloading of people in homes built for significantly smaller occupancy puts undue stress on our fire and emergency medical systems.
My suggestions for solutions are twofold: require defensible space inspections and compliance of every VHR, and compel them to receive annual fire agency business inspections. Defensible space requirements are already the law (Public Resource Code 4291). All businesses in the El Dorado County portion of the Tahoe basin are required to be inspected annually for safety issues – so why not VHRs?
Until our representatives can work with the community and develop a strict but fair ordinance, we must demand that a temporary moratorium be put in place on all new VHR permits in the Tahoe basin. Please call your Board of Supervisors representative Sue Novasel at 530.573.7955 or bosfive@edcgov.us and let her know that you support the moratorium.
Thank you.
Leona Allen, Meyers
Leona you have barely touched the surface. Sue Novasel
is worthless as her performance during Ms. Raffety’s weak presentation clearly showed. I don’t have to go into all the problems VHR’s create such as noise, trespassing, nudity, drunkenness, extreme rudeness, and parking up and down the street. There is a group in CSLT working on a measure to be brought forth to the people for a vote. The county folks have to start the same peoples movement to end this destruction of our beautiful community. We can work together to eradicate this poisonous infestation. To quote a famous signer of the Declaration of Independence, “If we don’t hang together we will all hang separately.”
It is time for our present supervisor to go and a strong person who loves our entire east slope to become our next supervisor and eliminate the 876 VHR’s in the county as they become analogous to a malignant melanoma. That goes for the city also.
Another concern; VHR’s are home based business requiring clients or customers to access specific areas of your home on a regular basis.
Under the ADA law, you are open to a civil rights lawsuit if the portion of your residence used specifically for the business is not “barrier free.” For the most part, this means getting someone from their mode of transportation to the entry point of your business area, and into your place of business by means of a barrier free pathway.
The more I read both sides, a moratorium is not a bad idea. There are just too many issues for using a single family residence as public lodging that have been ignored. Allowing profit in an area that was never designed for this use.
We do not have enough affordable housing for our fire fighters to live in Tahoe. If another fire were to break out local on call assistance in the basin is very necessary. People become trapped, and much of our assistance would not have access in adequate time to help because they can not find local housing.
The cities Purpose of allowing such a usage ACKNOWLEDGES its wrongdoing in section B & C from A stating it is a burden to the neighborhoods but a benefit to the community, and it contradicts the definition of zoning usage of a single family dwelling by and calling it LODGING:
Sec. 5.56.040. – Purpose of chapter.
The Board of Supervisors of the County finds and declares as follows:
A. Vacation home rentals provide a community benefit by expanding the number and type of lodging facilities available and assist owners of vacation home rentals by providing revenue which may be used for maintenance upgrades and deferred costs;
B. County staff has responded to numerous complaints involving excessive noise, disorderly conduct, vandalism, overcrowding, traffic congestion, illegal vehicle parking and accumulation of refuse at vacation home rentals which require response from police, fire, paramedic and/or other public personnel;
C. The provisions of this chapter are necessary to prevent or mitigate the continued burden on county services and impacts on residential neighborhoods posed by vacation home rentals.
The city has disregarded the California Building Code for the purpose of profit.
I think it will take a good old fashion lawsuit to settle all the issues. If a ballot measure is passed it will sure meet legal challenge at that point the issues can all be sorted out. It’s probably best.