Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC_9_09_2025_Public Comment Received by Email1 Alyssa Slater From:<> Sent:Wednesday, September 3, 2025 3:12 PM To:Tori Keen; Jason Anderson; Victoria Carranza; Greg Heath; Maggie O'Malley; Eric Pennachio; Erick Gomez Cc:City Clerk Subject:Pending Short term rental ordinance feedback and suggestions Hi all, My name is Marilynn Taylor and I am an owner and operator of a short term rental in Atascadero, Chateau Vigne, which one day (hopefully soon) will be where we retire. We sold our home in Los Angeles in an off market offer just when Covid hit, then with loss of jobs and income found ourselves priced out of the market where we live. We had discovered Atascadero on our annual 4th of July trip to central coast and absolutely fell in love and decided this is the area we would like to retire in. Once we had recovered the ability to purchase a home, we were unable to afford anything in our area, so we decided to make a move toward retirement and purchase a home in Atascadero in 2022 and since we mostly work remotely, spend as much time here as possible and rent it out when we are down south at our primary home in Dana Point. The rental income we earn allows us to afford homeownership continue to improve the property with plans to convert the 1200 sf workshop in to an ADU that will allow us to always have an affordable housing payment in our retirement years by renting the unit we are not living in. I have been in the short term rental industry for over 20 years and am a fairly well known expert in the industry. My reputation is for being a heart centered host who focuses not only on my guest’s experience, but on only attracting guests that I enjoy hosting, and that are a welcome addition to the neighborhood and supporting my community. We aren’t just in this for the profit, we are in this to enrich our lives, our guest’s lives, as well as the community of Atascadero. Over the 20 years of operating, I have developed booking process and offering that only attracts respectful guests who follow the rules. I have a 4 bedroom home that I rent and require a photo ID of the primary booker, a minimum age of 25, as well as that a rental contract is signed. I have noise monitors in and outside of my home as well as ring cameras to help monitor each group to ensure compliance with my rules. My neighbors have my phone number and know to call me if they notice anything of concern or the guests are breaking the noise ordinance and I have a local cohost that earns 10% of my revenue and lives 5 minutes away. Because of my reputation, I have been involved in assisting other municipalities in crafting equitable STR regulations that meet the needs of the municipality or resort, as well those of the STR hosts. I am an Airbnb Superhost Ambassador, and have been invited to Airbnb headquarters twice to participate in feedback to the company and have helped thousands of other hosts create STR businesses that are responsible, welcome and constructive members of their communities. I believe there is a way for municipalities to find a perfect balance in regulation that both meets the needs of the Public Comment Received by Email 9/09/25 City Council Meeting Item H3 2 city (affordable housing, zoning, preserving neighborhood integrity, revenue generation) and that of the STR owner. I have studied the proposed ordinance and have some input and suggestions. I planned a presentation for the city that I would record and share, but I’m aware you are meeting about this again next Tuesday, and wanted to get my notes to you ASAP. City Goals -  keeping the integrity of a residential neighborhood  They want owner on site. (Home share or someone living in an ADU)  preserving quality of life for residents  Preserving housing stock  Maintaining integrity of the character of Atascadero  Allowing resident owners flexibility in how they use their properties  Discouraging speculators from buying up properties in the community  Facilitating TOT taxes  Having something that is enforceable and not sabotaged by people who want to game the system.  Avoiding loud parties, disturbances, etc. The realities of the current Atascadero STR market:  It is already fairly saturated compared to demand and it is difficult to turn a profit as is for existing STR owners. o There is only so much demand and revenue in the Atascadero market. Allowing too many STR’s spreads the same demand over more properties, causing less revenue per STR owner (negative financial impact), yet the same TOT revenue and more administrative work for the city. o Many STR operators, in it just for the profit, have already sold and moved on. As a result this area isn’t very attractive to speculators and investors who do proper due diligence on profitability. This is a fairly low risk. o Limiting STR permits per home size and within particular radius would be welcomed to protect those of us who are already operating.  This benefits current STR owners to consolidate and maintain occupancy.  The more permits there are, the more administrative work for the city.  Smaller 1-2 bedroom homes are potential competition for local Hotels, while larger homes are not.  Limiting STR permits in more concentrated areas makes more sense vs. limiting in more rural areas where neighbors are less effected.  I am plugged in to the local host community, and many are either locals or those of us who fell in love with the area, feel invested in the community and intend to retire there. STR is the pathway to affordably retiring in Atascadero. Recommendations: Ways to avoid problematic STR guests / noise complaints: o Require that a vacation rental lease is signed per booking. As part of the STR permitting process, ask each owner to present the rental contract they will use for every guest. o Require minimum age of 21 or 25 and a photo ID of primary booker. (This could look like 21 and over for 1-2bd homes and 25 or over for 3+ bedrooms which are more likely to attract party groups.) Public Comment Received by Email 9/09/25 City Council Meeting Item H3 3  Airbnb has pushed hosts to allow kids as young as 18 years old to book our homes. This is highly problematic for the noise complaints and disturbances. By requiring a minimum age in your ordinance, this allows the hosts in your community to set that age limit, which greatly reduced problematic guests. o Require noise monitors inside and outside of the property. o Require that nearby neighbors have the contact information for the owner and local cohost. o Standardize quiet hours. You are currently suggesting different times for different days. The more sets of rules, the more confusion. Standard is 10pm - 8am for every day and has worked well for me. I have signs up around the house to remind them.  Parking: o The number of vehicles varies by property size based on available parking spots on property. The requirement of 2 vehicles is silly on a 4 bedroom 1.35 acre property whereas, it could be excessive for a studio apartment with only 1 assigned parking space. As long as guests don’t encroach on other neighbor’s parking spots, this should be a non issue.  Parking maintained within the property lines as to not disturb neighbors.  No parking on the street unless there is no assigned parking to the property.  Allowing STR in ADU’s o Allow STR in ADU’s in cases of primary residence in the other unit. This is an amazing way for homeowners to supplement their income without requiring a full time resident on their property. o Allow STR in ADU’s in these cases: The primary home sits vacant during that booking, or the same party books both the primary home and ADU all at once. o Allowing STR in an ADU if the primary property is owner occupied. This allows homeowners to supplement their income, making homeownership more affordable. o SB9 ADU’s have different restrictions than non SB9 ADU’s, more closely aligning with CA state law.  Primary residence /owner occupied is problematic for multiple reasons: o This severely restricts whole properties from being rented. This is currently the majority market share of TOT taxes and brings in the most revenue to Atascadero. o For many people, homeownership is unattainable in California. Allowing owners to use the property as an STR until retirement gives them a path to purchasing a home now that otherwise, they couldn’t afford, and allows them to improve the property and pay down the mortgage faster, accelerating their path to retirement. o Multiple better solutions that achieve Atascadero’s goals:  Set a cap within a particular radius in residential neighborhoods in order to maintain residential integrity.  I feel 40% of residential units is high in a non tourist destination like Atascadero. 25% might make more sense.  Cap the number of STR’s owned by one owner.  Require non local STR operators to identify a local cohost or manager for complaints or issues in lieu of owner occupied.  Extreme permit fees: o I understand the need to cover administrative costs for permits, however, Atascadero is already earning 14% from every booking. In my property’s case, that is almost $10,000 in just one year. To add another $800 - $1100 in overhead is hard to justify. A $100-$200 permit fee to renew is fair and reasonable across many other municipalities. o Eliminate the need for a separate business license and combine in to one renewal process to save confusion and administrative cost and time for the city and owners. Public Comment Received by Email 9/09/25 City Council Meeting Item H3 4 o To save money on inspection costs, implement a virtual inspection where photos or videos of required items can be submitted via an online portal.  Enforcement: o Neighbor complaints supported by photos / video / audio is a slippery slope.  You don’t want to deputize or incentivize nosey or unreasonable neighbors to unfairly harass legal STR owners and their guests.  Require that a neighbor may not file a complaint unless they first attempt contact with the owner or local contact and allow at least 60 minutes for a reply in an emergency situation or 24 hours in a non emergency. They must provide proof of attempted contact with the host and their representative to formally file a complaint with the city.  This helps prevent frivolous complaints to the city, minimizing administrative work and being caught in the middle of civil issues between neighbors.  Hold harassing neighbors accountable with the potential of a fine for unreasonable or unfounded complaints made to the city.  Competition with Hotels o This is a misconception that short term rentals hurt the hotel industry, with the exception of room rentals or studio rentals that only sleep 2-4 people. o People who would otherwise stay in a hotel, are unlikely to rent an STR due to the below reasons.  No on site restaurant.  they have a to do list prior to check out.  They want somewhere for just sleeping, not away from home living. o People who book STR’s are usually groups who want to stay together, not in separate hotel rooms.  They want to cook together  Enjoy the property family style with privacy from other guests.  Celebrate birthdays and anniversaries  They want a home experience, not a hotel experience.  They enjoy hanging out in a living room or backyard playing games, or watching a movie, sitting up late, chatting in front of a fire, with a beverage…….things a hotel can’t provide.  With so many larger family STR options in neighboring cities, family and friend groups will take their revenue elsewhere, not to an Atascadero hotel. The STR industry doesn’t only bring revenue to the city via TOT taxes, but we generate income for locals as well as support local businesses with the tourism dollars we attract. Locals that I employ:  My local cohost earns 10% of my rental revenue  Cleaning team are all locals  Handyman is a local  Electrician is a local  Landscapers  Pest control x 2 companies  Pond maintenance  Spa servicers  Tree Trimming  Local thrift and antique shops  Local products I supply in my property: (Joebella’s coffee, Tim Ball honey). I also send customers to these vendors. Public Comment Received by Email 9/09/25 City Council Meeting Item H3 5 I hope you find this helpful and will consider this in the finalization of your ordinance. I’m fully in support of clear ordinances that avoid overly cumbersome or expensive fees and administrative efforts for the city or the owner. I am happy to make myself available to consult on any of these ideas and am happy to speak to anyone on the planning commission board to share more ideas. Thank you so much for your time and consideration. Sincerely Marilynn Taylor BnB & DIY Design Coach www.MarilynnTaylor.com www.ChateauVigne.com ATTENTION: This email originated from outside the City's network. Use caution when opening links and attachments. Public Comment Received by Email 9/09/25 City Council Meeting Item H3