Sharon Marshall, Capistrano Beach
Do you want your residential neighborhood to turn into hotel row? My family has lived in Capo Beach in the same house for 29 years. Many of our neighbors have lived here longer than that. For the past two years, I have lived next door to a short-term vacation rental. This rental has changed the whole character of our small cul-de-sac street. What used to be an upscale, quiet neighborhood has been transformed into a nightmare.
The six bedroom house next-door has been divided into two units. One can rent the whole house or the upstairs and downstairs can be rented separately. The city’s permit says they can have 14 occupants, but no one ever checks to see how many people are really there. Fourteen people is way too many, no other homes on this street house 14 people, and of course everyone brings a friend so there has been 30-plus people partying there many times.
Do you know how many cars and how much traffic that brings in? Needless to say, there are numerous problems including noise, loud talking, laughing, crying, arguing, drunk people, bright house lights on all night, no parking, cars coming and going, taxis, Ubers, police, fire engines, trash, bicycles, etc. at all hours of the day and night. They even play beer pong on the dining room table!
Sometimes they arrive in several vans, motorhomes or trucks to bring all the renters and their luggage. We never know who is going to be living next door to us. It changes every couple of days. The owners are running a hotel business in our residential family neighborhood. Permits are being issued that are transforming family neighborhoods into commercial rental zones.
We want to be safe, protect our property values and the quality of life in our neighborhood zoned for single family homes. This has happened to us and if the Council votes for the ordinance on Sept. 6, this will happen to you. Heed this warning and speak up against short-term vacation rentals. It’s our city and our lifestyle that will be changed.
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Hard to imagine what you are saying is true. First of all, the city is extraordinarily strict when issuing permits. Unless this is a legal duplex, the city would not allow a home to be split up and permitted in the way you have described. Furthermore, having 30-people staying there would be in direct violation of city code and would likely result in their short term rental permits being revoked, especially if this has occurred multiple times. All of the noise complaints would also result in steep fines and permits being revoked. There are also very specific guidelines with regards to parking. Violations.
The Planning Department and Code enforcement have specifically stated that there have been next to no valid complaints regarding short term rentals. If what you are saying is true, hard to understand why this wouldn’t have been brought to their attention.