15neighborhoods is a grassroots coalition working to preserve our residential neighborhoods and housing for locals.
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The Problem
The County mistakenly issued Business Licenses that allowed Short-term vacation rentals (STRs or VRDs) to locate in Lincoln County's low-density, single-family Residential Zones. Licensed for large numbers of transient occupants, STRs are mini-motels but without on-site management. STRs are businesses, not family residences and belong in the County's Tourist-Commercial zones, not Residential zones. Vacation rentals reduce our long-term housing stock we need to house our County's workforce of hospitality AND non hospitality workers. |
Our Solution
Limit Short-Term Rentals in Residential Neighborhoods
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Take action to protect our residential neighborhoods!
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More information on the current situation
The County mistakenly issued Business Licenses that allowed Short-term vacation rentals (STRs, or VRDs) to locate in Lincoln County's low-density, single-family Residential Zones. Licensed for large numbers of transient occupants, STRs are mini-motels but without on-site management. STRs are businesses, not family residences. STRs belong in the County's Tourist-Commercial, not Residential zones. Current Lincoln County zoning prohibits B&Bs in some Residential Zones. Think about it. Why are STRs operating in the R-1-A zone when B&Bs cannot?
Most STR revenue does not even stay here or get spent here. It goes to investors outside the County. Less than 6% of STRs are owned by people living in the Lincoln County. According to the County records, 35% (209) of the STRs are owned by Investors from outside of Oregon.
Lincoln County has sacrificed the zoning protections and property rights of the people living in our Residential Zones. All 1,494 square miles of Lincoln County are functionally a Tourist-Commercial (C-T) Zone. Nowhere in Unincorporated Lincoln County can you live with the guarantee that an STR can't get a business license next door (or all around!) your home. Unlike in the cities, there are no zoning restrictions for these businesses. Unlike the cities, we have no cap on the number of STRs in the County or in neighborhoods.
One Realtor said her brokerage calls Unincorporated Lincoln County the "wild west" for STRs. Brokers report multiple offers by Out-of-Town Investors on existing homes in Residential Zones. Realtors encourage investors to buy here because there are no zoning restrictions. This is a selling point for speculators. More business licenses for STRs are issued in Lincoln County than permits for new construction.
Residents moved to quiet Residential-Zoned neighborhoods in Unincorporated Lincoln County expecting a pleasant place to live and raise their family, away from the traffic, noise, risks, and hassles of the Tourist-Commercial Zones. We chose homes in residential neighborhoods of full-time owners and long-term renters. You know, people who have an investment in a clean and safe community, who can get to know their neighbors, and have kids around to play with other kids. Instead, the County has licensed away the "quiet enjoyment" property rights of the people who actually live in these neighborhoods, and many of us now find ourselves sandwiched between short-term vacation rentals that can be licensed for 14 people and unlimited children under two.
The short-term renters are unknown to us. They cycle through our neighborhoods every few days, seven days a week, 12 months a year.
The County mistakenly issued Business Licenses that allowed Short-term vacation rentals (STRs, or VRDs) to locate in Lincoln County's low-density, single-family Residential Zones. Licensed for large numbers of transient occupants, STRs are mini-motels but without on-site management. STRs are businesses, not family residences. STRs belong in the County's Tourist-Commercial, not Residential zones. Current Lincoln County zoning prohibits B&Bs in some Residential Zones. Think about it. Why are STRs operating in the R-1-A zone when B&Bs cannot?
Most STR revenue does not even stay here or get spent here. It goes to investors outside the County. Less than 6% of STRs are owned by people living in the Lincoln County. According to the County records, 35% (209) of the STRs are owned by Investors from outside of Oregon.
Lincoln County has sacrificed the zoning protections and property rights of the people living in our Residential Zones. All 1,494 square miles of Lincoln County are functionally a Tourist-Commercial (C-T) Zone. Nowhere in Unincorporated Lincoln County can you live with the guarantee that an STR can't get a business license next door (or all around!) your home. Unlike in the cities, there are no zoning restrictions for these businesses. Unlike the cities, we have no cap on the number of STRs in the County or in neighborhoods.
One Realtor said her brokerage calls Unincorporated Lincoln County the "wild west" for STRs. Brokers report multiple offers by Out-of-Town Investors on existing homes in Residential Zones. Realtors encourage investors to buy here because there are no zoning restrictions. This is a selling point for speculators. More business licenses for STRs are issued in Lincoln County than permits for new construction.
Residents moved to quiet Residential-Zoned neighborhoods in Unincorporated Lincoln County expecting a pleasant place to live and raise their family, away from the traffic, noise, risks, and hassles of the Tourist-Commercial Zones. We chose homes in residential neighborhoods of full-time owners and long-term renters. You know, people who have an investment in a clean and safe community, who can get to know their neighbors, and have kids around to play with other kids. Instead, the County has licensed away the "quiet enjoyment" property rights of the people who actually live in these neighborhoods, and many of us now find ourselves sandwiched between short-term vacation rentals that can be licensed for 14 people and unlimited children under two.
The short-term renters are unknown to us. They cycle through our neighborhoods every few days, seven days a week, 12 months a year.
About our initiative:
Our “Altering Short Term Rental Dwelling Licensing in Unincorporated Lincoln County” Initiative will:
1. Prohibit new Short Term Rental licenses and license transfers upon sale in low-density, single-family RESIDENTIAL ZONES (R-1-A, R-1, and R-2) in Unincorporated Lincoln County,
2. Phase-out existing Short Term Rental licenses in Residential Zones over five years.
3. Reduce the maximum occupancy of Short Term Rentals in RESIDENTIAL ZONES to two persons per bedroom, excluding children under two years of age. Current licensing is three persons per bedroom plus two persons "for the house," excluding children under two years of age.
4. Limit ownership to only one STR within the RESIDENTIAL ZONES the R-1-A, R-1 and R-2.
Our “Altering Short Term Rental Dwelling Licensing in Unincorporated Lincoln County” Initiative will:
1. Prohibit new Short Term Rental licenses and license transfers upon sale in low-density, single-family RESIDENTIAL ZONES (R-1-A, R-1, and R-2) in Unincorporated Lincoln County,
2. Phase-out existing Short Term Rental licenses in Residential Zones over five years.
3. Reduce the maximum occupancy of Short Term Rentals in RESIDENTIAL ZONES to two persons per bedroom, excluding children under two years of age. Current licensing is three persons per bedroom plus two persons "for the house," excluding children under two years of age.
4. Limit ownership to only one STR within the RESIDENTIAL ZONES the R-1-A, R-1 and R-2.
"In many communities in my County, between thirty and forty percent of the residences are VRDs. In some coastal communities, that number reaches seventy percent. Without accessible, affordable [workforce] housing, many places on the coast, in the Gorge and Central Oregon, will become retreats for the wealthy, with service workers being bussed in from distant locations." Testimony of Lincoln County Commissioner Claire Hall, March 2019.