Facing a housing crisis, this Tahoe-area resort town extends a ban on new vacation rentals
.JPG "Alex Steinkopff, 23, stands on Tuesday, July 13, 2021, outside the tiny home that she rents in Truckee from her employer. Steinkopff said that she would have to live with her family if her employer, a local ski and snowboard rental shop, did not offer employee housing.")
The Truckee Town Council voted unanimously last week to extend its moratorium on new short-term rentals ahead of the busy winter ski season.
The decision was motivated by a desire to address a housing crisis in the Tahoe Basin that has accelerated during the pandemic, forcing an unknown but notable number of long-time residents and employees out of the region.
Truckee’s population exploded last year as cash-heavy buyers made the move from cities to the mountains. In 2020, the second-most populous town in the region went from averaging 50 new residents each year to 1,000, according to census data.
The influx of new residents has forced the already stressed housing market into full-blown crisis, housing experts said.
Truckee’s Town Council approved a 45-day moratorium on new short-term rental licenses on Sept. 28 in an effort to slow the effects of the housing crisis and give the town time to study the issue. The council vote last week extended the moratorium until at least June 15.
Short-term rentals, which are popular on websites like Airbnb and VRBO, have increased in Truckee, contributing to a decrease in housing stock available to long-term residents.
In 2016, the town had 800 short-term rentals. But in four years, that number jumped to 1,600, said Councilmember Jan Zabriskie in the meeting.
The moratorium caused a decrease in short-term rental licenses, with the number now standing at 1,200. Under the urgency ordinance, existing permit holders can still renew their permits, but new licenses will not be granted.
The council voted to extend the moratorium despite strong dissent from several members of the public. The moratorium prevents new short-term rentals from opening during the town’s popular ski season.
“If we are living in a resort town, we have to support a resort town,” said Alison Elder, a realtor and business owner in Truckee. She added that the Town Council had not considered how this policy would negatively affect the local economy before unanimously supporting it.
“There is a difference between housing our locals and reducing the (short-term rentals) that we have here,” she said. “. . . (short-term rentals) are the backbone of maintaining that community particularly for the people who can’t afford $1,000 to $2,000 a night at the Ritz Carlton.”
In July, the Placer County Board of Supervisors also approved an urgency ordinance to stop new short-term vacation rentals from being licensed.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has also exacerbated the housing crisis that the Tahoe region has experienced for years,” meeting documents said. “Over the last decade, the rise in second home ownership and (short-term rentals) in the region has continued to grow, resulting in a decrease in available housing stock for the local workforce.”