Rules governing short-term rentals in Long Beach will change near the coast – Press Telegram

Short-term rentals near the coast in Long Beach are a way to increase beachfront accessibility, according to the state’s Coastal Commission, and the rules governing them should reflect that approach.

The California Coastal Commission came to that conclusion in a hearing last month to amend Long Beach’s local coastal program. The city council had passed citywide regulations for short-term rentals in 2020, but the part of Long Beach in the coastal area must also meet state regulations.

A short-term rental is a property, house or apartment, that a landlord rents for less than 90 days. Typically, these are vacation rentals operated by companies such as AirBnB. Hosted STRs occur when the owner is on the property. Most of the rules are aimed at non-hosted STRs, where there is no direct supervision of tenants.

The council-approved rules include a citywide limit of 800 non-hosted STRs and a method for residents to ban such rentals by census block. Third District Councilwoman Suzie Price insisted on residents’ right to object to vacation rentals when the final ordinance passed Dec. 8, 2020.

Coastal Commission staff had requested and obtained a one-year extension to the deadline for rendering a decision. This added time to work with Long Beach staff to balance the city’s desire to limit the impact of STRs on neighborhoods and the state’s edict to allow the most public access possible to the rating.

Still, Coast Commission staff recommended four changes to Long Beach’s STR policy in the Coastal Zone, and the commission approved those changes as a condition of approval on December 15.

To justify the changes, staff members said in a letter that “the limitation of STRs, as well as the citywide cap on non-primary residence STRs, raise concerns about the impact of the regulations proposals on public access to the coast through restrictions on the supply of new visitor-serving resources as well as a potential loss of visitor-serving resources and, most importantly, overnight accommodation at lower cost, which are protected by the certified land use plan… and the coastal law.

The first condition would allow up to 350 unhosted STRs in the coastal zone, even if the citywide cap of 800 had been reached. Hosted STRs are not processed.

The second would limit the ability of owners of multi-unit buildings to prohibit STRs. Unless restrictions are already in place, a Coastal Development Permit (issued by the Coastal Commission) would be required to add clauses prohibiting STRs.

Another condition would require “a commitment to provide non-discriminatory services and ADA accessibility information in the registration process.” Finally, there is a requirement for regular monitoring and reporting indicating, where appropriate, the impacts of STR regulations on public access. Actions to mitigate these impacts would also be necessary.

Price said she believes Coast Commission terms still protect homeowners from the negative impacts of the STR.

“I was the council member who requested an opt-out process for wards as part of our STR policy,” Price wrote. “The city’s ability to locally manage the neighborhood opt-out provision, as approved by the Coast Commission, will ensure that we are able to comply with the findings of the Coast Commission by ensuring reasonable access to housing on the coast, while balancing the concerns of the owners in terms of impacts on the neighborhood. »