PORT ANGELES — Clallam County commissioners will each compile a list of issues with proposed regulations on bed-and-breakfast inn and vacation rental regulations for the county planning commission to address.
They took no action as they reviewed proposed changes on bed-and-breakfast inn and vacation rental regulations during a work session Monday.
“We’re obviously going in circles trying to figure out how to move forward here,” said Commissioner Mark Ozias, who telephoned in to the work session.
At Ozias’ suggestion, commissioners decided to compile a list of their issues with the proposed regulations and give them to the planning commission.
The proposed ordinance would set standards for vacation rentals and bed-and-breakfasts.
Bed-and-breakfast inns would be limited to 10,000 square feet and no more than five bedrooms. A conditional use permit would be required for anything more than 4,000 square feet.
Vacation rentals also would be limited to 10,000 square feet and require a conditional-use permit for anything greater than 4,000 square feet, but the number of bedrooms would not be limited.
Mary Ellen Winborn, director of the county Community Development Department, said the decision to remove language that would have limited the number of bedrooms allowed in vacation rentals was made late in a recent planning commission meeting and with little discussion.
County commissioners also were asked to approve a revised definition for “bed-and-breakfast inn.”
If approved, a bed-and-breakfast inn would mean “a single family dwelling which has five or fewer bedroom units that are rented nightly or weekly,” according to the draft.
It would have removed language that said the owner or manager must live on the property and that the bed-and-breakfast inn would not detract from the residential appearance of the structure.
Winborn said Wednesday she’s optimistic the proposed ordinance is nearing its final form.
She said that once commissioners provide their lists, her department will “get right on it.”
“Once they do that, then we can address their issues,” she said.
She said the planning commission has been working on the ordinance for the past several months and has brought it to commissioners within the past three or so months.
Her hope, she said, is that commissioners will pass an ordinance for bed-and-breakfast inns first and then allow the planning commission to work on other lodging options.
Winborn said she hopes to have a bed-and-breakfast ordinance approved before an interim ordinance is lifted in August.
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsula dailynews.com.
