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Marin extends moratorium on West Marin short-term rentals

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A 45-day moratorium on new short-term rentals in West Marin approved by Marin supervisors in May was extended for an additional 22 months and 15 days on Tuesday.
A 45-day moratorium on new short-term rentals in West Marin has been extended another 22 months and 15 days. The moratorium had to be implemented in a two-step process to conform with the state law that authorizes the county’s imposition of the freeze. The moratorium was initially approved by Marin County supervisors on May 24 and announced publicly May 5 to allow property owners to act before the moratorium took effect, county officials said. Sarah Jones, Community Development Agency assistant director, told supervisors on Tuesday that 120 new short-term rentals were approved in West Marin leading up to the adoption of the initial moratorium. Typically, the county receives about four new applications per month.
“Letting people know seemed like the fair thing to do — this is a big change in the county’s approach on short-term rentals and a moratorium is a much faster action than usually taken,” Jones said in an email. County supervisors adopted new regulations in 2018 governing short-term rentals in the unincorporated area, requiring operators to obtain a business license and a transient occupancy tax certificate. Following the influx of new registrations that preceded the implementation of the moratorium, 683 of the approximately 5,250 residentially developed parcels in West Marin were licensed to offer short-term rentals. Only 2,252 of those 5,250 developed lots receive a primary home tax exemption indicating that 2,999 of the properties may not be in use as full-time homes. A pre-existing shortage of affordable housing in West Marin has been made worse by the growth of the short-term rental industry.
“A high proportion of small villages occupied by transient visitors means smaller ongoing communities and a lack of people to serve in key community roles,” Jones said in a statement.

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