Laserfiche WebLink
<br />The city council meeting on October 15, 2015, Agenda #75A extending the <br />moratorium, was ultimately allowed to expire. Comments from councilmembers <br />expressed support for the shared economy, they did not want to be prohibitive, <br />restrictive or overreach. <br /> <br />What has changed since October 2015? Nothing…study was never completed; codes <br />were never updated to address short term rentals. Somehow between 2015 and now, <br />the code was now being referred to as a permissive code. The code still lacks clarity <br />as it pertains to short term rentals. <br /> <br />If there has been a proliferation of short-term rentals, the fault lies with the planning <br />commission. As short-term rental owners (on-site owners and responsible short term <br />rental (‘STR’) owners), we actively sought to work with the planning commission. <br />We met with the planning commission shortly after the September 26, 2022 planning <br />commission meeting, in which code amendments were being discussed. Short term <br />rental prohibition was on the planning commission agenda as a Zoning Ordinance <br />Amendment No. 2022-03 (the item was ultimately taken off calendar for a later <br />date). We proposed a STR program with regulations and supplied copies of other <br />city guidelines to the planning commission. Again, we did not hear anything back <br />from the planning commission. A year later, in December 11, 2023, the planning <br />commission did a short-term rental work study session power point presentation. <br />Most planning commissioners were open to having a program in place and collecting <br />TOT’s (transient occupancy tax). In January 2024, some of us received an email <br />from the planning commission requesting suggestions and/or comments on a <br />proposed STR program in Santa Ana. We all responded within the allotted time <br />frame for comments and/or suggestions. We felt we were finally moving forward. <br /> <br />So, it was a surprise to all of us that over the next couple of months some the of STR <br />owners started receiving cease and detest letters. Then in April 2024 we were taken <br />aback by the proposed and ultimate passage of the Urgency Ordinance and the first <br />reading of an Ordinance Amending the SAMC adding Article XXI to Chapter 8 of <br />the SAMC Prohibiting Short Term Rentals. <br /> <br />3 <br /> <br /> <br />