Oppose the expansion of Short Term Rentals to residential areas in Weber County
Oppose the expansion of Short Term Rentals to residential areas in Weber County
The Issue
We the undersigned STRONGLY OPPOSE the proposal to expand Short Term Rentals into residential communities of Weber County.
It is November 9, 2020, and the Weber County Commissioners are moving forward with efforts to allow short-term rentals (less than 30 days) –“STR’s”– in any residential property in Weber County.
All of the concerns listed below have been expressed in recent public input, and the Weber County Planning Office has been diligently working to create operational standards to address some of these. However, simply establishing new rules that would govern the use STR’s cannot mitigate the damages inherent in many of these concerns.
The result of this legislative process will be a law that will change the lives of many Weber County citizens and will permanently alter the life style of many Weber County residential areas.
There is a growing perception that the public comments do not seem to have any real impact on the decisions to expand STR’s. Thus, the undersigned signatories to this petition are making a further effort to call attention to this issue and to emphasize the wide-spread concern and opposition.
For the following reasons, STR’s should not be expanded into all residential areas:
1.
Placing STR’s in residential areas is a direct assault on private property rights. Changing residential zoning areas by allowing STR’s would be a betrayal of the trust that thousands of Weber County citizens have placed in their county government. These homeowners have purchased property as their place to live and to raise their families. Homeowners in residential areas have the expectation that the county will fulfill its legally defined commitments to maintain the area as specifically stated in county ordinances. For example, the AV-3 zone is defined as “an agricultural zone and a low-density rural residential zone.” Allowing STR’s are not consistent with this purpose.
2.
STR’s in residential areas are strictly antithetical to the Ogden Valley General Plan, the two main goals of which are to “Promote the community character. Protect resources in harmony with existing residential uses. “
3.
Expanding STR’s into residential areas immediately increases the density of neighborhoods well beyond those consistent with all stated goals of sensible development in the Ogden Valley.
4.
STR’s are strictly commercial businesses. They should not be permitted in residential areas.
5.
STR’s in residential areas are an unfair competition to lodging businesses already available in the many zones (CVR1, R1-12, C1, CV1, CV2, and PRUD’s) that appropriately allow them.
6.
STR’s in residential areas will enable a few to profit by investing in real estate at the expense of the many citizens who already have already invested in their properties, homes, and neighborhoods in which to live.
7.
STR’s in residential neighborhoods will definitely degrade those neighborhoods. Visitors have no investment in those neighborhoods.
8.
STR’s may have 10 or more visitors in each private home. Infrastructure (parking, traffic, garbage, snow removal, public safety, septic systems, etc.) for 10 or more visitors renting private houses for three nights at a time cannot be accommodated in most residential neighborhoods. The increase in cars, boats, RVs, etc. is likely to create a burden on full time residents.
9.
Enforcement of ordinances governing STR’s has been impossible in the past. One of the main goals of the current proposal is to raise more revenue for the county, so that existing and future proposed laws can be enforced. Projections state that expanding STR’s can spread the costs over a greater tax and fee base so that the enforcement of ordinances regulating those very STR’s can be done. However, no accounting has been presented to date as to the CIVIL costs (extra law enforcement, etc.) of STR’s. Our hard-working Weber County Sheriff’s Officers are already stretched and their duties extend over large geographic areas. More officers will be needed to enforce civil laws related to STR activities. Taxpayers will have to bear those expenses.
10.
STR’s in residential neighborhoods will decrease the (already scarce) availability of affordable rental housing. This occurred both in Moab and Park City when they allowed increases in STRs.
11.
STR’s in residential areas could place part of the onus of enforcement on private parties—HOA’s, etc. This could pit neighbor against neighbor. Codified HOA enforcement would also directly discriminate against any residential areas that do not currently have functioning HOA’s.
12.
Expanding STR’s into residential areas may well send more money OUT of the Ogden Valley and out of Ogden Canyon, as over 40% of Ogden Valley housing units are second homes.
13.
STR’s in residential areas may raise more taxes for Weber County, but Ogden Valley citizens have been offered no reassurances that those revenues will be returned to benefit the neighborhoods negatively impacted by the STR’s.
14.
STR’s should not be expanded into residential areas until after the development of other over-night accommodations (such as hotels or multi-unit dwellings) have been considered.
The Weber County Planning office has welcomed (and continues to welcome) public input. The planning office has recorded, catalogued, and tabulated all the written public responses. These written comments were overwhelming opposed to this proposal. Of the 84 public comments that expressed opinions, 72 were opposed. In the 72 responses opposed, a multitude of concerns were expressed, some of which are listed above. Of those in favor of expanding STR’s, three came from realtors or real estate associations, several more were from people not living in unincorporated Weber County who wanted to run commercial Airbnb’s in Ogden Valley or Ogden Canyon. Only three or four comments supporting STR’s expansion were from Ogden Valley residents.
In spite of strong public opposition, this STR proposal appears to be progressing toward becoming a county ordinance. It will be discussed at the Ogden Valley Planning Commission November meeting and then forwarded on to the County Commissioners for final decisions
If such a major change is ever proposed it should be done by means of a true democratic process via an actual ballot measure on which the citizens of Weber County could vote.
The undersigned all urge the County Commissioners to NOT expand STR’s into any Weber County residential neighborhoods in which STR’s are not currently permitted.
The Issue
We the undersigned STRONGLY OPPOSE the proposal to expand Short Term Rentals into residential communities of Weber County.
It is November 9, 2020, and the Weber County Commissioners are moving forward with efforts to allow short-term rentals (less than 30 days) –“STR’s”– in any residential property in Weber County.
All of the concerns listed below have been expressed in recent public input, and the Weber County Planning Office has been diligently working to create operational standards to address some of these. However, simply establishing new rules that would govern the use STR’s cannot mitigate the damages inherent in many of these concerns.
The result of this legislative process will be a law that will change the lives of many Weber County citizens and will permanently alter the life style of many Weber County residential areas.
There is a growing perception that the public comments do not seem to have any real impact on the decisions to expand STR’s. Thus, the undersigned signatories to this petition are making a further effort to call attention to this issue and to emphasize the wide-spread concern and opposition.
For the following reasons, STR’s should not be expanded into all residential areas:
1.
Placing STR’s in residential areas is a direct assault on private property rights. Changing residential zoning areas by allowing STR’s would be a betrayal of the trust that thousands of Weber County citizens have placed in their county government. These homeowners have purchased property as their place to live and to raise their families. Homeowners in residential areas have the expectation that the county will fulfill its legally defined commitments to maintain the area as specifically stated in county ordinances. For example, the AV-3 zone is defined as “an agricultural zone and a low-density rural residential zone.” Allowing STR’s are not consistent with this purpose.
2.
STR’s in residential areas are strictly antithetical to the Ogden Valley General Plan, the two main goals of which are to “Promote the community character. Protect resources in harmony with existing residential uses. “
3.
Expanding STR’s into residential areas immediately increases the density of neighborhoods well beyond those consistent with all stated goals of sensible development in the Ogden Valley.
4.
STR’s are strictly commercial businesses. They should not be permitted in residential areas.
5.
STR’s in residential areas are an unfair competition to lodging businesses already available in the many zones (CVR1, R1-12, C1, CV1, CV2, and PRUD’s) that appropriately allow them.
6.
STR’s in residential areas will enable a few to profit by investing in real estate at the expense of the many citizens who already have already invested in their properties, homes, and neighborhoods in which to live.
7.
STR’s in residential neighborhoods will definitely degrade those neighborhoods. Visitors have no investment in those neighborhoods.
8.
STR’s may have 10 or more visitors in each private home. Infrastructure (parking, traffic, garbage, snow removal, public safety, septic systems, etc.) for 10 or more visitors renting private houses for three nights at a time cannot be accommodated in most residential neighborhoods. The increase in cars, boats, RVs, etc. is likely to create a burden on full time residents.
9.
Enforcement of ordinances governing STR’s has been impossible in the past. One of the main goals of the current proposal is to raise more revenue for the county, so that existing and future proposed laws can be enforced. Projections state that expanding STR’s can spread the costs over a greater tax and fee base so that the enforcement of ordinances regulating those very STR’s can be done. However, no accounting has been presented to date as to the CIVIL costs (extra law enforcement, etc.) of STR’s. Our hard-working Weber County Sheriff’s Officers are already stretched and their duties extend over large geographic areas. More officers will be needed to enforce civil laws related to STR activities. Taxpayers will have to bear those expenses.
10.
STR’s in residential neighborhoods will decrease the (already scarce) availability of affordable rental housing. This occurred both in Moab and Park City when they allowed increases in STRs.
11.
STR’s in residential areas could place part of the onus of enforcement on private parties—HOA’s, etc. This could pit neighbor against neighbor. Codified HOA enforcement would also directly discriminate against any residential areas that do not currently have functioning HOA’s.
12.
Expanding STR’s into residential areas may well send more money OUT of the Ogden Valley and out of Ogden Canyon, as over 40% of Ogden Valley housing units are second homes.
13.
STR’s in residential areas may raise more taxes for Weber County, but Ogden Valley citizens have been offered no reassurances that those revenues will be returned to benefit the neighborhoods negatively impacted by the STR’s.
14.
STR’s should not be expanded into residential areas until after the development of other over-night accommodations (such as hotels or multi-unit dwellings) have been considered.
The Weber County Planning office has welcomed (and continues to welcome) public input. The planning office has recorded, catalogued, and tabulated all the written public responses. These written comments were overwhelming opposed to this proposal. Of the 84 public comments that expressed opinions, 72 were opposed. In the 72 responses opposed, a multitude of concerns were expressed, some of which are listed above. Of those in favor of expanding STR’s, three came from realtors or real estate associations, several more were from people not living in unincorporated Weber County who wanted to run commercial Airbnb’s in Ogden Valley or Ogden Canyon. Only three or four comments supporting STR’s expansion were from Ogden Valley residents.
In spite of strong public opposition, this STR proposal appears to be progressing toward becoming a county ordinance. It will be discussed at the Ogden Valley Planning Commission November meeting and then forwarded on to the County Commissioners for final decisions
If such a major change is ever proposed it should be done by means of a true democratic process via an actual ballot measure on which the citizens of Weber County could vote.
The undersigned all urge the County Commissioners to NOT expand STR’s into any Weber County residential neighborhoods in which STR’s are not currently permitted.
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on November 9, 2020