With summer now in full swing, Morro Bay residents have been given a new tool to help keep an eye on visitors staying in their residential neighborhoods.
The City recently launched a new online tool that lists the emergency contacts for short-term rentals (STRs) legally licensed to operate in town.
Though a relatively new concept in vacation stays, STRs have exploded in popularity as homeowners have turned houses into what are essentially lodging businesses situated often in otherwise entirely residential neighborhoods.
And while the majority of STRs appear to be professionally managed there are some with somewhat looser rules governing who is moving in for a short stay on any given weekend.
The possibility of having unruly visitors that don’t respect the quiet or privacy of residents caused a great deal of consternation among full time residents and made the process of establishing a governing ordinance more difficult.
So too did the issue of on-street parking, which many residents worried could be taken up if visitors arrived in numerous vehicles with just a single driveway in which to park.
The allure of STRs is self-evident as some can fetch upwards of $800 a night, depending on location and size of the home, which translates into capacity.
The possibility of having whole extended families and friends gathered under one roof for a vacation is part of the appeal of STRs. It’s also one of the reasons the Coastal Commission believes them to be an essential component of “affordable accommodations,” something called for under the California Coastal Act.
While many residents would probably have preferred there be zero STRs in neighborhoods, few opposed them in commercial and tourism areas of town.
The City’s ordinance includes signage that must be posted along with emergency contact information, though if a party of visitors gets too unruly, the best option is to call police to handle the situation.
“This resource,” reads the City’s announcement on the website, “is intended to help residents quickly identify and contact the designated 24/7 emergency contact for a permitted short-term vacation rental when immediate concerns arise, such as noise, parking, or other issues requiring prompt attention. The City encourages residents to contact the listed emergency contact first when appropriate.
“If an issue poses an immediate threat to public safety or requires emergency assistance, please call 9-1-1. Non-emergency concerns that cannot be resolved through the designated emergency contact may be reported to Code Enforcement or the Morro Bay Police Department’s non-emergency line — 805-772-6225.”
The City Code Enforcement Officer is Jason Nefores, and his phone number is 805-772-2223, email: jnefores@morrobayca.gov.
As an indicator of the popularity of STRs, there are several relatively new, commercial, STR developments — one is on Front Street next to Frankie & Lola’s Restaurant; another is further up the Embarcadero across from the Shell Shop; and the newest is at the corner of Harbor Street and Market Avenue.
The STR Ordinance was approved in 2020 and allows property owners to operate an STR within the City Limits, according to the City’s website, “provided they comply with permit requirements and standards to minimize neighborhood impacts.”
One of the first things someone must do is obtain an STR permit. They must also get a business license and a Transient Occupancy Tax or bed tax account “prior to operating an STR.”
The STR Permits must be renewed annually and there is a mandatory inspection every 4 years.
Originally, the City Council set the permit limit at 250 but that was later reduced to 175, full-time rentals in residential-zoned areas. The ordinance calls that number a “cap” or the maximum number allowed in residential zones. They also can’t be too close to one another.
“Such rentals,” the ordinance said, “are also subject to a ‘buffer’ that requires new STRs to be separated by at least 175-feet (measured from property lines).”
However, “This limitation does not apply to a home-share STR in residential zones, or STR in commercial and mixed-use zones.”
It should be noted that while there are 175 active STR permits in residential zones; the City also has a waiting list with over 130 potential permit seekers.
Readers can access the emergency contact list at: www.morrobayca.gov/1085/Short-Term-Vacation-Rentals, along with other information about the program.
