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Planning panel signals ban on short-term rentals in subdivisions, asks staff to study small citywide cap
Summary
After a workshop on a proposed zoning change, the Pacific Planning & Zoning Commission indicated it does not want short-term rentals in subdivisions, asked staff to research caps and models from other municipalities, and scheduled a follow-up on Aug. 11 to consider mapped options and a pending CUP.
The Pacific Planning & Zoning Commission signaled broad support during a workshop for prohibiting short-term vacation rentals in subdivisions while leaving options for them in downtown commercial areas.
"I think the consensus pretty much of the board is not allowing any of the short term rentals in subdivisions," the moderator said during the discussion of P&Z 20 26 10, a text amendment that would remove short-term vacation rentals as a conditional use in nonurban and residential districts. Staff planner RJ told the commission that, if removed from residential districts, short-term rentals would remain allowed in C1 areas and conditionally in C2 (the older downtown area).
Commissioners debated implementation details including how to define "subdivision," whether to list subdivisions explicitly, and how to measure any cap. Suggestions for a citywide cap ranged from less than 1% up to 10% of residential units — though several commissioners favored a very small limit. "We would have to look at the total number of single family homes in the city within the city limits of Pacific and get a percentage of how much we how many houses we want to be short term rentals," one commissioner said.
Staff cautioned that calculating and enforcing a percentage cap is operationally difficult because the denominator (single-family units, multifamily, condos, apartments) can change and is not uniformly tracked. RJ agreed to research other municipal models, clarify definitions (single-family vs. multifamily/condo), and return with a larger zoning map and proposed language at the commission's Aug. 11 meeting. The commission also noted a Conditional Use Permit application for a short-term rental that will appear on that agenda.
The workshop did not adopt a final ordinance; commissioners directed staff to produce research, maps and a list of subdivisions for the next meeting.
