The Board of Supervisors will consider sharp cuts to the number of short-term rentals in West Marin next week, while exempting the shorefront communities of Dillon Beach and Seadrift from any caps.  

The proposed regulations, which were approved by the Planning Commission in November, could gradually reduce the total number of S.T.R.s on the market by roughly 40 percent, and in some places by more than 60 percent. County staff originally proposed an 11 percent overall reduction.

In an analysis released just before the holidays, county planners contrasted their original proposal and the Planning Commission’s revision, while offering some economic data that underlined the challenges of securing decent housing in West Marin.

The proposed rules are intended to balance three goals that are challenging to reconcile: boosting the long-term housing supply, providing rental options for visitors to the area, and allowing income-generating opportunities for property owners. 

The county analysis highlighted economic data that underscored the urgent need for more affordable, long-term housing for workers in West Marin. Seventy-nine percent of local workers commute from outside the community, compared to 63 percent elsewhere in the county.

“Over the last decade, minimal new housing has been developed in West Marin while S.T.R.s have become increasingly available,” the report states. “While not every property registered as an S.T.R. was previously used for long-term housing, any conversion of a property from a long-term tenancy to an S.T.R. can constitute a reduction in housing supply.”

Nearly 48 percent of workers in the coastal zone earn less than $40,000 a year, according to the analysis. The proportion of people spending more than half their income on housing increased from 19 percent to 23 percent between 2010 and 2022. 

“As a result, and especially in small communities where housing supply is already limited, it is increasingly challenging for those who work in West Marin to find adequate permanent housing,” the county analysis states.

At the same time, county staff noted, S.T.R.s provide options for tourists, and tourism is a major contributor to West Marin’s economy. More than 2.3 million people visited the Point Reyes National Seashore in 2022, spending an estimated $117 million in the region, according to the National Park Service.

Planning staff originally proposed no caps on hosted short-term rentals—those in homes that are the primary residence of the homeowner or a long-term tenant. That approach would have allowed more people to rent out a single room or make their home available when they leave town for vacations or weekends.

The Planning Commission proposal includes both hosted and unhosted S.T.R.s. under the caps, but it exempted the seaside communities of Dillon Beach and Seadrift from any restrictions.

The Planning Commission also proposed allowing S.T.R. operators to transfer their licenses to a spouse or child, a move that the county staff was skeptical of. 

“This provision would reinforce patterns of wealth and home ownership by further increasing the value of inherited property,” the county’s analysis states. “It would also reduce the likelihood of decreases in the number of S.T.R.s over time.”

The draft regulations would phase in any caps as license holders leave the short-term rental market. 

The caps would also vary from community to community. Under the Planning Commission proposal, the number of S.T.R.s would gradually fall to the levels that existed in 2018, when Marin adopted its first short-term rental ordinance. That would reduce current numbers by 63 percent in Bolinas, by 57 percent in Marshall, by 50 percent in Inverness and by 31 percent in Point Reyes Station. 

The county’s 2018 rules included various good-neighbor policies addressing nuisances such as noise and garbage. But four years later, as concerns about the workforce housing supply intensified, Marin imposed a two-year moratorium on short-term rentals in West Marin and said it would develop additional guidelines. The moratorium on S.T.R.s expires on May 23, and the county is hoping to adopt new rules by that deadline. 

The new regulations will include more rigorous health and safety standards, including stricter septic system requirements, that could discourage some current S.T.R. operators from seeking licenses.

Before they can be adopted, the rules must be endorsed by the California Coastal Commission, which is charged with ensuring visitor access to the coast. The county has been working to weigh that goal against increasing the pool of long-term rentals—and giving property owners some flexibility to generate income through S.T.R.s

It has been a difficult balancing act. The county has held numerous hearings and informational sessions while working up the rules, whose various iterations have raised objections from both S.T.R. operators and affordable housing advocates.

The regulations endorsed by the Planning Commission last fall generally pleased those who want sharp reductions and disappointed those who want more flexibility to generate income by renting their homes as S.T.R.s. The county received voluminous correspondence from the public after the Planning Commission vote, most of it reiterating arguments made extensively since the moratorium was announced.

Supporters of tight caps said short-term rentals were driving out people who have spent their lives in West Marin and fraying community bonds. 

“Everyone living in West Marin has stories of friends, family, and neighbors who have had to relocate because their long-term rental has been lost,” wrote Harry Winslow of Bolinas. “Our communities cannot continue to function without places for local workers, teachers, firefighters, families, and seniors to live!”

The Point Reyes Station Village Association strongly supports the Planning Commission proposal, said Chris Hulls, the group’s vice president. 

“We are committed to maintaining a balanced community where both renters and homeowners can equitably thrive,” Mr. Hulls said. “We have observed with concern the unchecked proliferation of short-term rentals over the past five years and believe that decisive action is now necessary.”

But opponents of lower caps denounced the Planning Commission proposal as “onerous” and “unworkable,” saying it would reduce tourism, eliminate jobs and deprive homeowners of necessary income.

“To date, the county has not shown any data or rationale that justifies such a drastic change in policy,” they wrote.

Sean Callagy, who owns an S.T.R. in Inverness, said the proposed caps were “shocking.” “The revisions to the draft ordinance would slash visitor access to West Marin via S.T.R.s by at 40 percent to start, and likely an even greater degree as time goes on,” he said. “This would be bad for everyone involved—visitors, homeowners, local workers, and first responders.”

Supervisors will consider the draft rules at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 11 at the Civic Center and by Zoom. Details at https://www.marincounty.org/main/short-term-rentals