Dear Petitioners, the Planning Commission (PC) has forwarded STR Ordinance 927.1 to the Rivco Board of Supervisors for approval. While some positive steps have been made the Commission has elected not to act on two very key issues for our community: 1) a cap on the number of STR’s in our 92549 zip code and 2) local, on the hill enforcement.
PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL ASAP EXPRESSING YOUR VIEWS ON THESE MATTERS AS WELL AS ANY PERSONAL STR EXPERIENCES YOU CAN SHARE TO THE SUPERVISORS WHO WILL HAVE THE FINAL SAY. ONE EMAIL COPYING ALL OF THEM WILL SUFFICE. THEY ARE:
Kevin Jeffries, District 1 Supervisor : district1@rivco.org
Karen Spiegel, District 2 Supervisor: district2@rivco.org
Chuck Washington, District 3 Supervisor (our current district): district3@rivco.org
Manuel Perez , District 4 Supervisor (soon to be our district): district4@rivco.org
Jeff Hewitt, District 5 Supervisor: district5@rivco.org
Here is some suggested verbiage:
10% CAP ON THE TOTAL NUMBER OF STR'S IN THE 92549 ZIP CODE:
Supervisors, as you know we are a small community of 3,600 homes which, due to county, state and federal land preservation and water scarcity, does not have the ability to grow. Thus, we must have a cap on STR’s. Right now there are approximately 350 registered and 250 non registered STRs in Idyllwild/Pine Cove . A 10% cap (360) is more than reasonable given that other communities such as Palm Springs with all their STR problems are at 6.6% and La Quinta’s most saturated neighborhoods are at 8%.
Because of our growth constraints every home we lose to an STR means exactly that, one less home that cannot be replaced. Less people to volunteer for the Friends of the Library, the Arts Council, Rotary Club, etc. We are a community that thrives and survives on volunteers as much as tourism. A cap is required to keep the balance between tourism and community intact.
A 10% cap on STR’s will not have an adverse impact on any of the existing, operating, registered STR’s which are performing according to the rules. In fact, it will make those properties more valuable.
A 10% cap will act as an additional enforcement mechanism when STR owners understand that if they lose their permit they will have to go to the back of the line and wait for another opportunity to apply and be admitted under the cap. This will help both county and community enforcement efforts.
The real estate firm recently hired by the county to monitor and enforce STR activities can easily track the number of STR’s by zip code. This will not be difficult to administer.
LOCAL "ON THE HILL" ENFORCEMENT:
Given the number of STR’S in Idyllwild/Pine Cove (and the revenue generated to the county) we need to have a local enforcement office up here; without enforcement the new ordinance with has no teeth. Currently the county has office space available at 25380 Franklin Rd, Pine Cove/Idyllwild where enforcement can be housed.
Please consider the special circumstances we face up here in Idyllwild in your upcoming deliberations on Ordinance 927.1. Thank-you.
We know you might all be weary at this point, this process has certainly taken some time but the final vote is now just a week or two away. There is no more important time than right now to let your voice be heard.
Your 100% Local, On The Hill STR Committee