Solvang’s Rules For Vacation Rentals Are About To Be Refined
SOLVANG, Calif. (KEYT) - The city of Solvang is revamping its rules for short-term rentals.
the city is emphasizing the need for long-term housing to stay that way.
City leaders say the current ordinance is twelve years old, and simply needs to be updated to present-day standards.
The prevalence of vacation rental apps like AirB&B has seen a dramatic increase over the last decade.
“Makes it a lot easier for people to visit, not only Solvang, but the Santa Ynez Valley,” says Rafael Castillo, Solvang’s Planning Manager. “Yet at the same time as many of our municipalities, including our own, is facing a housing crisis. So really, what it comes down to is ensuring that vacation rentals stay in the location that they're, allotted to be in, which is here in the village.”
Solvang city leaders say they have been alerted to some long-term homes in residential neighborhoods utilizing their properties for short-term vacation rentals.
“In the Santa Ynez Valley and particularly here at Solvang, we have property owners that do purchase property and we want to turn those into vacation rentals,” says Castillo. “And there have been some illegal vacation rentals that have popped up in our residential neighborhoods, which we have been informed of, previously.”
And that's causing problems, specifically with street parking.
Solvang’s planning manager Rafael Castillo says, with housing needs being high at this time, they want to make sure long-term residences remain prioritized as such.
“We're a tourist driven community, and it's so far so good with our vacation rentals,” Castillo says. “But again, we did have a lot of nefarious actors out there, operating illegal rentals in our residential neighborhoods. And so we want, again, we want to make sure that with a new permitting process, that we do stay on top of that, and ensure that our residential neighborhoods do remain just that.”
Castillo says residents who want to rent their properties to vacationers will still have a pathway to do so, but the city is simply revamping the process.
“It's a two way street. We also, acknowledge that there are property owners here in town that you know, they want to stay in town. And particularly for retirees and need additional income. And so, renting out a portion of their home may be available.”
The ordinances will be reviewed annually, creating a more flexible, hands-on approach to monitoring tourist activity.
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