This petition urges the San Juan County Council to impose an immediate moratorium on the issuance of Vacation Rental Permits. The moratorium should remain in place until the county has implemented new regulations that meet the public need.

There are currently no limitations on the number of Vacation Rental Permits issued by San Juan County. While there are economic benefits to local residents from short term rentals, over half of the existing vacation rental permits are owned by out-of-county operators.

Residents of San Juan County have expressed concern about the impacts of unlimited vacation rental growth. These include erosion of long term and affordable housing, rural character, and the quality of neighborhood and community life.

After three Orcas Island community conversation gatherings during the summer and fall of 2019, attendees were clear that a moratorium is the first essential step.

For more information, see: vacationrentalsorcas.org

If you sign the petition, consider opting-in to supply us with your contact information: by doing so we can keep you up to date with the progress we are making and inform you of upcoming opportunities to achieve the goals of the petition. To opt in, simply check the box next to the paragraph:"Please share my name and email address with Orcas Island Vacation Rental Working Group, so that I can receive updates on this campaign and others."

(Signing the petition without opting-in only gives us your name and does not allow us to connect with you. Please know that we will never betray the privacy of your information. We're islanders.)

(Note: if you wish to make a donation to support this effort, note that a donation made at "change.org" does not go to the Vacation Rental Working Group. Donations may be made at islandstewards.org (the VR Working Group's federal non-profit 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor), or at the vacationrentalsorcas.org web site. Thank you!)