GEARHART, Ore. (AP) — Property owners who offer short-term vacation rentals in the seaside town of Gearhart are pushing back against proposed restrictions.
The city council is considering an ordinance that would tax short-term vacation rentals and require property owners to apply for a permit.
Property owners would be required to pay a $600 fee, provide proof of inspection, have a 24-hour representative and post a tsunami evacuation map.
Some property owners feel the city has moved too quickly and are asking city leaders for a compromise, The Daily Astorian reported Thursday. They commissioned a survey on the issue.
“Half the voters are against regulations or have no opinion,” vacation rental property owner Jim Whittemore said in a letter to the city council.
Short-term vacation rentals have become an increasingly divisive issue in Oregon’s coastal communities, including Gearhart, as online rental booking sites proliferate.
Some residents say the rentals bring in people who don’t participate in the community but change its character.
Other residents say they wouldn’t be able to hang onto seaside homes that have been in their families for years without the rental income.
City officials also see an untapped economic opportunity and began considering taking action last year.
More than 10,000 people come through Gearhart through the short-term rentals, City Administrator Chad Sweet said in October.
