Reminder the RivCo STR listening session is tonight from 5-7pm at the Idyllwild Town Hall. The previous email sent earlier today stated that the new STR 927.1 ordinance provided for increased Sheriff protection and resources. That was a typo. It does NOT provide any. This has been corrected.

Hope to see you there tonight. 

Below is a list of some statistics, concerns and asking points for the meeting. We encourage you to print them, bring them to the meeting and use them as you see fit in talking with the various RivCo departments who are there to listen to us. 

IDYLLWILD SHORT TERM RENTALS : STATISTICS/CONCERNS/REQUIREMENTS

STATISTICS:

-656 is the number of STRs that advertised as available our 92549 zip code during the second quarter of 2022 per industry resource Airdna.co. This growth equates to more than 1 new STR every other day.

-Based on US Census data we have approximately 3900 homes in our 92549 zip code which means that about 17% of all homes are being advertised as STR’s. 

- By contrast Palm Springs, a town that is pro tourism, is currently implementing a 7% cap on STR’s for their city because their neighborhoods are overwhelmed. La Quinta has a ballot measure next month to severely restrict STR’s in their neighborhoods because some of them have as much an 8% absorption, less than twice what we have currently. 

-Idyllwild/Pine Cove has 1% of the population yet has 46% of the STRs in Rivco unincorporated. This truly calls for specific solutions to our community’s on-going problems and concerns. 

CONCERNS: 

-Fire and Evacuation concerns.  Packing tourists into our residential areas is dangerous. 85 people died in the Paradise fire, in a forest town like ours. Many died in their cars trying to evacuate. 

-Long Term Housing. Local businesses are pleading for STR restrictions to enable the long term housing they need to attract and retain employees. 

-Code Enforcement. County code enforcement director Bob Magee stated in a Press Enterprise article, "officers don’t go out past 10 p.m. That’s because post-10 p.m. calls have more potential for danger to unarmed officers and are best handled by sheriff’s deputies.". The recently passed STR Ordinance 927.1 does NOT provide for more Sheriff protection or resources. 

-Problems that residents of Idyllwild continue to face: all night partying, road and driveway blocking, guests trespassing, outdoor fires left burning, dogs left alone and barking for hours, increased traffic from maintenance and guest vehicles. 

WHAT WE ARE ASKING/WHAT WE NEED: 

-An 8 to 10%  CAP on the total number of STR’s in the 92549 zip code. 

-A 300-500’ density limit radius to ensure that the number of STR’s in any given area is not overwhelming a particular neighborhood. 

-An extension of the 45 day moratorium now in place on the issuance of any new STR’s until a CAP and density policy is approved and in place. 

-Physical Inspections. STR’s are classified by the county as commercial establishments for the collection of taxes & therefore must be subject to inspection. RivCo county and city fire departments require annual fire inspections of motels, hotels, camps, dorms, apartments, etc. They must now require the same of STR's which are open year round for lodging to the general public. Our community’s health, safety and welfare is at stake. 

Your 100% Local STR Solution Group