Dear Friends,
Addressing Short Term Rentals in Del Mar is back before the City Council for review and potential revision. I fought hard to protect residential neighborhoods in prior go-arounds. Now the current city council will address the issue and is headed toward revising the city’s rules by the end of this year.
I have a new White Paper, “A Reasonable Approach for Managing Short Term Rentals in Del Mar,” to set out what I think a reasonable approach to STRs would be. I hope you’ll read it and share your own thoughts with me, as the Council works to adopt a policy that will have a profound effect on our residential neighborhoods – either to protect or degrade their special residential quality.
Read Dwight’s Aug. 28, 2023 White Paper
I also have an earlier White Paper, written in 2016, which analyzes how the Community Plan and Zoning provide the foundational principles we should honor in addressing STRs. Read my 2016 White Paper here.
2016 White Paper: Community Plan and STRs
Here’s the schedule for Council consideration of this important issue, and information on how to speak or submit a red dot, so that your voice will be heard:
- September 5 Council Meeting
– City attorney briefing on the current case law and Coastal Commission regs;
– Presentation of June 2023 data on numbers of online STRs in Del Mar;
– City staff introduction of how 16 representative cities handle STRs;
– Public comment and council feedback..
- September 18 Council Meeting
– Follow up on feedback from Sept. 5.
- Future Council Meeting, Date to be determined:
– Public input and council discussion on options for Del Mar; selection of a proposed strategy for Del Mar.
- Future Council Meeting, Date to be determined, but planned before the end of the year:
– Public comment and council decision on an STR program for Del Mar.
The pro-STR contingent is already out in force. We need to hear from the rest of the community too. I encourage you to attend as many of these meetings as possible, and to participate by speaking or submitting your views by red dot. Info on how to submit a red dot:
https://www.delmar.ca.us/620/Red-Dot-Communications
The meetings are in Town Hall at 1050 Camino Del Mar and start at 4:30 pm. Or, you can stay home and login remotely and make a comment:
Zoom link to watch City Council meetings and speak during public comment):
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84790910014
Phone: (669) 900-6833
Meeting ID: 847 9091 0014
Bottom line, we need to speak up now and throughout this process if we want to protect our residential neighborhoods.
Best to all,
Dwight