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Planning commission urges council to let city manager set uniform VHR signage and to prioritize applicants buffered out
Summary
The South Lake Tahoe Planning Commission voted to forward two recommendations to city council: delegate authority to the city manager to adopt a uniform vacation home rental sign template and to give application priority (and potential fee relief) to people denied solely because of the 150-foot buffer.
The South Lake Tahoe Planning Commission voted Feb. 19 to forward two recommendations to the City Council concerning short-term vacation home rentals.
Commissioners recommended that the council include language in the pending VHR ordinance delegating authority to the city manager to adopt a consistent sign template (fonts and sizes) to ensure legibility and continuity. Commissioners said the change would reduce uneven enforcement and confusion over what constitutes a legible sign.
“Delegate to the city manager to create continuity — they could decide on fonts and sizes,” a commissioner said during the discussion. Staff noted the draft ordinance currently specifies only a maximum sign size and uses the term “legible” without objective standards.
The commission also recommended that council consider giving priority to applicants who were previously denied solely because of the buffer rule if the council removes the buffer and adopts the new cap of 900 VHRs outside the tourist core. Commissioners framed the recommendation as a way to avoid forcing previously denied applicants to re-spend application fees and time.
Assistant city staff told the commission the city attorney will include any recommendations on signage in the staff report to council, but changes to the ordinance itself likely cannot be made prior to the council’s first reading. Commissioners discussed timing — whether to submit more recommendations now or wait — and ultimately approved a motion forwarding the two items to council.
The motion passed without recorded roll-call tallies. Staff said council will consider a first reading and a second reading at future meetings; if council decides to amend the ordinance after first reading, those changes typically require continued hearings and re-noticing.
What’s next: The City Council will review the draft ordinance, including the commission’s signage recommendation. Commissioners and several members of the public said applicants buffered out by the 150-foot rule should be allowed a priority path if council changes the ordinance, but they acknowledged the council and city attorney must confirm whether fee waivers or priority can be implemented administratively or require ordinance language.
