A vote concerning a new ordinances addressing how short-term rental owners should manage their property was postponed.
Under this ordinance, Chula Vista residents would be allowed to list their entire property out to rent for up to 90 days per year, and any portion of the primary residents without time limits. It aimed to establish regulations, standards, permitting process on short-term rental owners. A total of 176 public comments were listed for the agenda item at a Nov.9 city council meeting, the majority of which opposed the measure.
“A well managed and properly enforced short term rental program has a tremendous positive economic impact to the community,” Steven Niederhauser wrote to the council.
On August 25, 2020, a referral was made to city staff to bring forward an overview of Short-Term Rentals. It was presented to the city council on March 16, 2021. At that time, the city council supported, conducting stakeholder outreach and returning with a comprehensive ordinance to regulate the operation of Short-Term Rentals
Any decrease in the supply of residential units available for the City’s permanent residents may put upward pressure on prices.
Recent research published in the Harvard Business Review found “…that a 1% increase in Airbnb listings is causally associated with a 0.018% increase in rental rates and a 0.026% increase in house prices. While these effects may seem very small, consider that Airbnb’s year-over-year average growth is about 44%. This means that, in aggregate, the growth in home-sharing through Airbnb contributes to about one-fifth of the average annual increase in U.S. rents and about oneseventh of the average annual increase in U.S. housing prices.”
Many have expressed concern regarding the potential impact of Short-Term Rentals on the local economy.
“Many of those cannot afford to stay in hotels for vacations or during an emergency. STRs allow for affordable options that allow for more safety and social distancing due to COVID. I oppose this and recommend the city consider different regulations that find a common ground,” a citizen wrote to city council.
