My family and I are third-generation homeowners in Seal Rock and we appeal to Lincoln County commissioners to protect our short-term rental rights.
The ability to rent out our beachfront home makes ownership of this valued heirloom possible. Our family has been making the Oregon coast our second home for more than 40 years, and we’ve also extended our real estate investment business to Depoe Bay in 2018 when we rehabbed and sold a single-family beach home.
When we come home to Seal Rock, our family savors the joys of reunions, holiday breaks and long weekends spent combing the beaches for agates and eating and shopping in all the cherished locally owned businesses. In the mornings, we grab our coffee and croissants at the Seal Rock Espresso & Bakery. Our children love exploring the Hatfield Marine Science Center and touching the sea stars and anemones at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. We love scoring burgers and fries at the Newport Cafe, and our children usually win when they beg for homemade fudge treats from Indulge Sweets of Seal Rock. On one of our rare “dates,” my husband Gary and I have blown glass floats together at Ocean Beaches Glass, and Gary has several of his woodworking pieces for sale in the gallery.
In short, our family loves and invests in Lincoln County. In the care and upkeep of our home, we’ve employed local contractors, plumbers, electricians and septic experts. We’ve purchased nails, copper piping and lumber from Barrelhead Building Supply in Newport, and we’ve worked with local green thumbs at Thompson’s Nursery in Waldport to landscape our yard with hardy Pacific Northwest plants that can withstand the salty winds off the ocean.
We pay Lincoln County property taxes, and as property owners we should have the right to use our property as we see fit.
Not every rental home in Lincoln County is a nuisance or “problem” property. And not every property owner who doesn’t live year-round in Lincoln County is a problem. We respect our Seal Rock neighbors, both those living year-round and those whose properties are rented out to short-term visitors. Certainly, problem rentals should be addressed by local law enforcement, but “solving” the perceived problems of a few short-term rentals by denying all homeowners the right to rent their property is overkill and shortsighted and hurts community members like our family who love this beachside community, too.
Please protect our short-term rental rights and ensure that Lincoln County thrives through the commerce of tourist dollars and the care of generations of Oregonians like our family. Nothing would make us happier than to see our grandchildren and great grandchildren fall in love with the beach communities of Lincoln County, too.
— Helyn and Gary Bradley, Seal Rock