At its hearing on January 28th, the Chelan County Board of Commissioners made its final decision on proposed changes to the County’s STR Code. RC3 had submitted extensive public comment on the proposed changes, many of which threatened protections for local residents included in the Code at the urging of RC3’s predecessor organization, Residents United for Neighbors. In a resounding defeat to the special interests urging the proposed revisions, the BOCC voted to leave the existing Code intact, aligning with virtually every recommendation RC3 had made.
Among the BOCC decisions:
The Manson cap on STRs was reduced from 9% to 6%, aligning Manson with the rest of the County.
Children under two will continue to be included in the occupancy count.
The Fire Marshal will be required to conduct fire/life safety inspections every other year, with owners encouraged to self-inspect annually.
The definition of “owner” for Tier 1 (owner occupied) STRs was not expanded to include children of owners, unless they are on title.
The preamble to the Code, reciting the harmful impact of STRs on affordable housing, was left intact, thus reiterating a crucial justification for the Code.
In virtually every respect, the BOCC accepted the recommendations of concerned citizens, including RC3 and the Manson Community Council. YOUR INPUT DOES MATTER! The BOCC will finalize the resolution on its decisions on February 11th.