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San Diego City Council approves short-term vacation rental regulations

The San Diego City Council on Monday rejected Mayor Kevin Faulconer's plan regarding short term vacation rentals, but in a 6 to 3 vote approved City Councilwoman Barbara Bry's regulations plan.

SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) - The San Diego City Council on Monday rejected Mayor Kevin Faulconer's plan regarding short term vacation rentals, but in a 6 to 3 vote approved City Councilwoman Barbara Bry's regulations plan. 

The STVR regulations the City Council approved would restrict rentals to primary residences only, up to six months a year. 

Council President pro-tem Barbara Bry made the motion that finally passed after the board rejected a proposal by Mayor Faulconer that would have allowed hosts to rent out their primary residences for up to six months a year, plus one additional home with no time limit. 

After the final vote, Bry said her proposal will protect San Diego's housing stock while still allowing home sharing. 

Critics of the move said it would decimate San Diego's tourist economy, leading to three to four million fewer visitors a year. 

Council member Scott Sherman, who voted against Bry's proposal, called it an absurd restriction on property rights. "So, the mom and pop who have two vacation rentals at the beach, they've been doing it for decades and are living on that money as their retirement. We just took it away from them! We just took that away from them!"

Under Faulconer's proposal, all host would have been required to register with the city, and those with dwellings of five or more bedrooms would need to acquire a neighborhood use permit. There would have been a two-license maximum per host: one for a primary residence and another for a secondary home.

Under the plan that was approved Monday night, hosts will only be able to use their place residency. 

Leading up to the vote, San Diegans on both sides voiced their concerns on short term rentals while some said even with Monday's vote the matter may not be definitively settled. 

"The repercussions of this are going to be so massive and so negative the City Council is going to have to revisit this pretty quickly," said Jeff MacGurn. 

Barring any legal challenges, the new regulations voted on Monday are expected to go into effect by July of next year. 

In a statement, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said: 

"I introduced my compromise proposal to help the City Council find enough common ground so they could pass comprehensive short-term rental laws, and with the additional amendments made today we've finally achieved that goal," Mayor Faulconer said. "As I've said repeatedly, the most important thing is that we have an established set of rules that protects neighborhood quality of life through increased oversight and enforcement."

Mayor Faulconer continued, "True compromise means everyone gives a little in order to reach a common objective, and we can all agree that it is time for San Diego to move forward on this issue. I appreciate all of the input we have received from the public and stakeholders, and I want to thank the City Council for working collaboratively with my office to get this across the finish line."

RELATED: Hotel lobby group launches campaign against short term vacation rentals

In another statement, Councilman Chris Ward said: 

"Council's decision today demonstrates a clear commitment to prioritizing the needs of our neighborhoods while maintaining opportunities for San Diegans to participate in - and benefit from - home-sharing and limited whole-home rentals.
"This is a starting point that will allow the City to finally form the regulatory measures necessary to address constituent concerns, provide enforcement for recurrent bad actors, and provide a structure that leaves the window open to revisit in the future once investor loopholes are addressed." 

Councilmember Lorie Zapf statement regarding the San Diego City Council vote on STVR's:

"I wasn't elected to serve the interests of out-of-town investors, I was elected to serve the needs of my constituents, so I am pleased to support the Mayor's proposal with the  Bry-Zapf  amendments.  This makes the most sense for our communities. This is not the perfect solution, but I have been working on this for the last four years and the City Council must provide some relief for the residents in my district. This final plan will fund enforcement to penalize bad actors so we can preserve the quality of life in our neighborhoods."

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