Submitted by Vacation Rental Working Group

The Vacation Rental Working Group welcomes San Juan Islanders from noon to 2 p.m on Saturday, Feb. 29 at the Friday Harbor Grange to share their concerns, views and ideas on the topic of vacation rental proliferation in San Juan County. This meeting follows a series of meetings held on Orcas in July, September and October 2019, and on Lopez in February 2020. In aggregate, hundreds participated.

“At our last meeting,” said Yonatan Aldort who heads the VRWG, “concerned Lopezians shared some exciting new ideas. Many raised concerns about the excessive water use that inevitably occurs, for example, when nine or more people pack into a vacation rental structure designed for four and permitted for six. On Lopez, we welcomed council member Stevens who spoke openly and brought new meaning to the whole conversation.”

The tourism that supports our economy is morphing into detrimental over-tourism, prompting us to ask the county to impose a moratorium now in order to give ourselves the time and space needed to seek solutions. This and more will be discussed at the Grange on Feb. 29.

The VRWG is an all-volunteer organization formed in June 2019, shortly after the Eastsound and Deer Harbor Planning and Review Committees forwarded moratorium recommendations to the County Council. The County Council has yet to act on previous proposals for a moratorium or regulatory relief. For more information, visit www.vacationrentalsorcas.org.