By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Assembly on Tuesday will consider an ordinance on final reading adding residency requirements to conditional use permits for short-term rentals.
The ordinance passed unanimously on first reading August 23.
At present, short-term rentals require conditional use permits in residential zones, but owner occupancy isn’t required, and the permit transfers when the property is sold.
The new ordinance says: “The purpose of this ordinance is to update the allowance of a conditional use permit for short-term rentals with regard to limiting the permanence of permits issued, residency requirements in the application for a permit, as well as addressing a gap in how short-term rentals and long-term are defined.”
A short-term rental is a rental of a single dwelling unit, for fewer than 14 days, The proposed ordinance would change that to “less than 30 days.”
Co-sponsors Kevin Knox and Kevin Mosher said the ordinance is intended to “discourage the removal of long-term housing stock” from Residential-zoned neighborhoods.
“To prevent people from outside Sitka, from taking them off the (long-term rental) market, with no intent of living in them at all,” added Mosher.
In the three weeks since the ordinance was approved on introduction, Knox said, he hasn’t heard any feedback that would cause him to change his mind about the proposed changes.
“We’ve heard a lot of comments from both sides,” Knox said. While it’s not the total solution to Sitka’s housing shortage, he said, “It’s one aspect of trying to deal with our housing crisis. There’s lots of things that need to be done and a lot of work we need to do. And this is one small piece.”
The ordinance states owners must live on the short-term rental property at least 180 days a year, and the permit is not transferred to a new owner when the property is sold.
“This does not take away any current permits that are out there,” Knox said.
A section of the ordinance says exceptions to the new rules will be considered in cases of “extreme personal hardship” as determined by the Planning Commission.
The Planning Commission endorsed the ordinance.
Also on the Tuesday agenda is an ordinance to establish a Sustainability Commission, replacing the Climate Action Task Force. The ordinance was co-sponsored by Rebecca Himschoot and Kevin Mosher.
The seven members of the commission would be appointed by the Assembly, and include at least one with background or training as a sustainability professional and at least one of Alaska Native heritage.
Mosher said, “It’s basically to help the Assembly come up with solutions to move the community toward sustainable energy.”
The Sustainability Commission also will work on other issues, such as food security, transportation, solid waste, and preservation of the environment.
The ordinance says the commission will present goals to the Assembly and report on progress, and work with city staff “to provide information and outreach to the public.”
The Assembly will recognize Climate Action Task Force members and hear the group’s final report, near the beginning of the meeting.
Other business on the meeting agenda are a report about airport upgrades, and a budget ordinance to re-appropriate unspent funds from FY2022 to FY2023.
“The primary reasons for the re-appropriations requested are the inability to procure items due to supply chain issues as well as the significant time constraints to implement some of the items to address the increase in tourism,” City Finance Director Melissa Haley said in her memo. “It is also important to note that some efforts from FY2022 are underway and the portion of those funds that were committed but not yet spent automatically rolls over to FY2023.”
The Harbor Fund and the Sitka Community Hospital dedicated fund were over-budget for fiscal year 2022, by $157,000 and $254,000 respectively. Haley said the harbor fund was overbudget due to increased costs of derelict vessel destruction and increased cost of accounting for bad debt.
“The SCH dedicated fund was over-budget due to a payment on the CERNER health records project that had been missed at the time of the sale and was paid in FY2022,” she said.
Also at the meeting are ordinances up for first reading:
– to change the senior citizen and disabled veteran property tax exemption deadline from Feb. 15 to “the last day of February.” The city assessor commented: “The February 15th deadline has caused confusion for some of the applicants.”
– spending $250,000 to repair damage to Crescent Harbor float 4 from an arson fire May 20. Repairs are needed immediately to “ensure the damaged sections remain usable through the winter and cause no further damage to the rest of the dock,” said a staff memo from Haley and harbor master Stan Eliason.
The Assembly also will consider grant applications for a fish passage restoration project on Wachusetts Street, and for crime control and prevention.
The final agenda item is approval of sales tax holidays on the Thanksgiving weekend.
