When visitors come to the Chelan and Wenatchee Valleys they often stay overnight in Short Term Rentals (STR). Owners may find them lucrative but neighbors may have concerns over the numbers of people dropping into their neighborhood along with parking and traffic.
Rules surrounding short term rentals were adopted by Chelan County in 2021, and now the county commissioners want to revisit the regulations.
These residential dwellings are rented out on a nightly basis for less than 30 nights. An STR can be a home, condo or accessory dwelling unit next to a home. A limited number of units on land outside of cities are required to have a county permit to operate.
"I've been working on for months now," said Chelan County Community Development Director Deanna Walter. "We will seldom have code changes that have so many iterations that it's this confusing. Usually it goes to the Planning Commission, they make any recommended changes and then it's really easy to see. This is kinda outside of the normal review process."
A sneak-peek on what the commissioners may consider was heard at a workshop on Jan. 7, in advance of a public hearing at the Confluence Technology Center in Wenatchee at 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 14.
"There is a requirement for a conditional use permit for an STR in the commercial-ag (agricultural) zoning and its because we are a right to farm county and we want to make sure we don't have commercial uses limiting the farming community," Walter said. "The property owner shall occupy either the primary unit or the accessory unit as their primary residence, if the property is permitted and used as a short term rental."
Parking on and around rentals can be contentious as construction set-back regulations differ from single family home construction rules.
The recommendation from the Planning Commission on occupancy limits is to study the issue further.
Citizens can attend the commissioners’ hearing on Tuesday afternoon through the county website, with an ability to listen in and comment through Zoom, on-line, here.
The latest on Chelan County short term rental code requirements can be found here.
The city of Chelan is also revisiting their short term rentals requirements. A city Planning Commission meeting on the topic is set for 6:00 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 15 at Chelan City Hall. Additional information on city STR licensing here.
This article brings up an important issue for communities with short-term rentals. It’s interesting how different regulations impact local markets. I’ve personally gone through the process of selling an old house in San Diego, and navigating local regulations really matters when it comes to making the right decisions for both buyers and sellers.