Short-term rental reforms approved in White Salmon

A draft version of the code changes, released in January, responded to various councilor concerns over topics including equity among short-term rentals in the city’s various commercial districts as well as restricting the potential for short-term rental types of use with the city’s mobile home zones.

The final aspect of the proposed changes that the city worked out was the pricing for annual short-term rental permits, which was approved at an initial application fee of $75, and an annual renewal rate of $75, in addition to the required yearly business license. A licensee can renew their permit up to seven times for a total of eight years, at which point then can apply for a permit renewable, good for another eight years.

The new set of regulations further structures the city’s short-term rental permitting system, sets limitations on the number of short-term permits available within the city’s residential zones and creates a queuing structure designed to manage the permitting system, among other changes.

The suite organizes restrictions on short-term rental operations by classification between a “hosted homeshare,” and a “vacation home rental.” It further defines short-term rental uses in commercial zones and lays out different rules of operation based on which zone it occupies and whether the unit is a conforming or non-conforming use.

Hosted homeshares, defined by the city as a rental of a portion of a dwelling or separate accessory dwelling unit on the property of a short-term rental licensee when the licensee is present during operational periods, can operate all days of the year in most residential zones, while vacation rentals, defined as a rental of an entire primary dwelling unit for 150 days or less, can only operate 150 days out of the year in.

A short-term rental, under the city’s definition, is a “dwelling unit or lodging unit for which an owner receives or seeks remuneration for use or occupancy for a period of less than thirty consecutive days per rental period.” AirBnB and VRBO are two commonly cited examples of short-term rental hosting platforms.

Changes to the code include a distinction between short-term rentals within the city’s commercial and residential zones, and a further distinction between the types of short-term rentals. As defined by the city, a hosted homeshare is “the short-term rental of a portion of a dwelling or an attached or detached separate accessory dwelling unit (ADU) on the property of the licensee’s primary address, where the licensee is present during rental periods,” while a vacation rental is defined as the short-term rental of an entire primary dwelling unit in the RL, R1, R2, or R3 zones for a maximum of 150 days per year. This does not include accessory dwelling units (ADUs).”

Short-term rentals will be limited to a maximum of 10% of the entire housing stock within the RL, R1, R2, or R3 zones, at which point the city administrator will serve permits on a first come, first serve basis under the new rules.

Short-term rentals are allowed entirely within commercial zones all year under the new rules, but are subject to a 30% limit of the number of units a licensee can operate in a given parcel.

During the meeting, councilors approved an adjustment to the proposed fee schedule, which Councilor Ben Giant moving to reduce the one-time application fee by $100 which his fellow councilors supporting the change.

City Planner Brendan Conboy said the city has issued 38 permits in 2021, of which 33 are located in residential zones, two within apartment buildings, and three within commercial zones.

City Clerk/Treasurer Jan Brending said the city has begun issuing permits for 2022, and the ones approved before the code changes were not subject to the newest fees insituted with the changes to the code.

“This has been quite the process and appreciate all the time and effort that’s gone into it. I think we’ve landed on something that is specific to our community and isn’t a carbon copy of what’s in Hood River or in other communities. And there’s been a lot of thought put into all of it,” Councilor Jim Ransier said.