By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews
Lincoln County commissioners Wednesday extended a years-old moratorium on new vacation rental licenses for another three months, but also said it was time to examine how the new licensing, inspection and enforcement programs are working.
After years of controversy, a ballot measure and legal battles, commissioners in early 2023 voted to create seven geographic areas and sharply limit the number of vacation rental licenses in each. Five of the areas are west of U.S. Highway 101 and two are east of it.
But commissioners also put a moratorium on issuing new licenses until multiple legal appeals by vacation rental advocates are resolved. The moratorium — last extended in August — was due to expire Dec. 31.
There are four legal appeals of the county’s vacation rental ordinance pending at the Oregon Court of Appeals. There was also a hearing in Lincoln County circuit court Dec. 12 on a contention by license owners – already decided by the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals – whether the circuit court had jurisdiction over the matter. There’s another court hearing and a possible decision scheduled Jan. 27.
There are currently 469 licensed vacation rentals in unincorporated Lincoln County, down from 502 when the seven areas were approved in February 2023. That number is supposed to drop via attrition to 181 licenses under the new density requirements.
While there are no licenses available in the five areas west of Highway 101, there are 15 available in the two east zones. Two licenses are available in unincorporated areas east of Highway 101 and north of U.S. Highway 20. There are 13 licenses available east of Highway 101 and south of Highway 20 – mostly from property owners around Seal Rock and outside the Waldport and Yachats city limits.
As of Dec. 10, there were are 61 people on the sheriff’s waiting list for licenses in the five areas west of Highway 101 and 54 on the waiting list for licenses east of Highway 101, according to the sheriff’s office, which administers the program.
Commissioners voted 3-0 to continue the moratorium on issuing any licenses until March 31, but Kaety Jacobson said it was time they were updated on how portions of the licensing program were working, including septic inspections and response to complaints.
“I’m not against an extension,” Jacobson said, “but I don’t want to necessarily always keep extending it.”
For the commissioners: lets get the Sheriff’s Department out of being involved in this mess and put them back to more important matters.
I’d love to see residents/neighbors who are negatively impacted by STRs have a voice authorities will listen to. I’m encouraged that new code enforcers are stepping up in Yachats, but more needs to be done.