PORT ANGELES — The City of Port Angeles released Friday the results of a short-term rental inventory report commissioned by the city as the city council looks to regulate the rentals.
Port Angeles recently announced a special webpage dedicated to short-term rentals, or STRs, and has scheduled several public feedback sessions seeking input on the proposed regulations.
The inventory report indicates which properties are compliant and non-complaint within various city zones and an estimate of how much lodging tax revenue is being generated.
According to the report, there are a total of 234 short-term rentals located within the city, making up 3.1 percent of the single-household dwellings or duplexes and generating an estimated $294,000 in lodging tax revenue through November.
The revenue estimates are a very conservative projection based on activity through November, said Calvin Goings, assistant city manager, based on the 4 percent lodging tax placed on short-term rentals.
There are a total of 7,479 single-household dwellings or duplexes in the city, according to the report.
Of the 234 STRs, only 49 are compliant with city codes, generating about $45,600 in lodging tax. The remaining 185 STRs in the city are non-compliant with city code, but still generate an approximate $248,500 for the city.
The city contracted with GovOS Inc. of Austin, Texas for $40,000 to complete the inventory.
Short-term rentals have been a divisive issue in the community, with some blaming them for exacerbating the region’s housing crisis while others defending them as supporting tourism and businesses and generating revenue for the city.
Earlier this month Port Angeles announced several public feedback sessions about proposed STR policies, the first of which was Thursday at the Winter Ice Village.
“Over the last five months we’ve heard a lot of feedback from the public and stakeholders, both for and against, and we’ve been listening very intently and carefully,” Goings said. “We now have a comprehensive legislative package that is now ready for public review and feedback.”
The city is proposing several new policies regulating STRs and bed-and-breakfast establishments. Among the proposed regulations is issuing licenses to operate STRs and collecting a licensing fee.
The proposed changes will repeal the city’s 2017 governing STRs and replace it with a more modern version focused on platform-based enforcement, Goings said.
An online survey about short-term rentals is available at the city’s website until Jan. 14 and another drop-in public feedback session will be held at the Port Angeles Farmer’s Market on Jan. 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Regulations also will be discussed at a city Planning Commission meeting on Jan. 24 at 6 p.m. and a City Council meeting on Feb. 20 at 6 p.m. Both meetings will be conducted in City Council chambers and also be available online.
Information on the city’s STR and bed-and-breakfast policies and the survey are available at cityofpa.us/1290/Short-Term-Rentals.
“We really want to hear from the public,” Goings said, and residents are strongly encouraged to review the proposed changes, take the online survey and attend public hearings on the matter.
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Reporter Peter Segall can be reached at peter.segall@peninsuladailynews.com.
