STR bylaws need another revamp, says Sechelt chamber

The Sechelt Chamber of Commerce is rankled over the Sunshine Coast Regional District’s (SCRD) amended bylaw on short-term rentals (STRs) and wants the SCRD to reconsider it.

In a presentation to the Jan. 21 meeting of SCRD’s planning and community development committee, chamber director Nick Farrer said that the amendments to the STR bylaws passed in October 2019 “severely changed” how short-term rentals in the Sunshine Coast’s rural areas can operate.

Farrer added that, “it is our members’ and board’s conclusive opinion that the SCRD has not taken enough time and due diligence to make this bylaw amendment, and it will severely affect businesses on the coast for many years to come.”

The bylaw amendments altered the definition of bed and breakfast, limited the number of guests, created rules on signage, and increased fines for non-compliant operators.

It did not change either zoning restrictions in residential areas, or the requirement that all STRs have onsite operators, committee members noted to Farrer after his presentation.

“The bylaw that we passed in October does not change the situation. Short-term rentals without resident-owners were illegal in the first place. We merely confirmed this direction,” said Area E (Elphinstone) director Donna McMahon. “If we allow STRs in residential areas, we are basically making a mockery of our own zoning.”

Gibsons director and mayor Bill Beamish said Gibsons is still grappling with drafting its own STR bylaw, but he said he agrees with the requirement for onsite operators. “I support a strong short-term rental industry in our community. I do not support people from off-Coast using short-term rentals as a way to increase their wealth,” Beamish said. “That’s a great way to make money. But it’s not the way to build community.”

The District of Sechelt is also considering possible changes to its bylaw, said Sechelt director Alton Toth “We’re in very early days in looking at STR rentals and trying to figure out the path forward,” he said.

Area B (Halfmoon Bay) director Lori Pratt noted that last fall, there were 90 Airbnb listings in the Welcome Woods area alone. “It does change the fabric of a community when you have a commercial entity that is operating within a residential area,” Pratt said.

Farrer replied that his organization agrees on retaining a sense of community, but also wants “to ensure those tourism dollars still come in.” The chamber requests, he said, “that the SCRD review those bylaws, or review any potential amendment for the future.”