Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Coastal Development Short Term Rental topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning commission approves mixed‑use short‑term rental in King Salmon with tsunami‑safety conditions
Summary
The commission approved Bermer’s conditional use and special permit for a two‑story mixed-use building in King Salmon (commercial first floor, one‑bedroom short‑term rental above) with a finishing-floor elevation requirement of at least 10 feet above sea level and parking conditions; nearby residents raised viewshed and parking concerns.
The Humboldt County Planning Commission voted on May 7 to approve the Bermer’s conditional use permit and special permit for a vacant King Salmon parcel that would host a first-floor fishing‑equipment rental/repair shop and a one‑bedroom residence above it proposed as a short‑term rental.
Alice Fasterling, the assigned planner (speaker 17), described the site as a nearly 6,000-square‑foot parcel near Boone Drive and Herring Street, inside the coastal development permit jurisdiction and within a mapped tsunami hazard area. Because the parcel lies inside the mapped tsunami run-up area, staff included a condition requiring the first‑floor finished elevation to be at least 10 feet above sea level to meet flood/run‑up criteria for the zone. The project also proposes three on‑site parking spaces (one ADA accessible); staff recommended conditional approval with findings required by the zoning and short‑term‑rental ordinance.
Applicant Blaine Burmers (speaker 14) described family-led plans to clean up the vacant lot and build a modest two-story building. Neighbors raised concerns about the building’s proximity to the sidewalk, viewshed impacts, and the short‑term rental concentration; Dennis Leonardi (speaker 6) requested a small setback shift to protect an adjacent view. Commissioner discussion noted that the commercial use is a principally permitted zoning use and that the commission’s authority in this hearing was limited to the residential/short‑term rental and coastal permit aspects.
Commissioners emphasized tsunami-safety measures: staff conditioned the approval to maintain a finished floor at or above the 10‑foot elevation associated with the county’s tsunami model and required the applicant to comply with the short‑term‑rental ordinance’s tenant‑notification requirements for living in a tsunami zone. Commissioner (speaker 11) moved to approve the Bermer’s CUP as recommended; the motion passed on roll call with affirmative votes recorded.
