Squamish Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Squamish have both written to council opposing district’s proposed short-term rental policy. The council gave first reading to the bylaw on June 16.
The district bylaw would restrict short-term rentals to just the principal residence, and not allow any short-term rentals in the basement suite or in the coach house.
This most restrictive option, district believes, would ensure more long-term rentals were available in the community.
In a letter to the district, Lesley Weeks, the director of Tourism Squamish, said while Tourism Squamish supported appropriate regulation, it didn’t support the most restrictive option.
The tourism industry in Squamish was in crisis, and many operators were heavily focused on the survival of their businesses right now, Weeks said.
“Short-term rentals are a critical piece of the accommodation infrastructure in Squamish, attracting a distinct and valuable visitor type. Making any decisions that limit STR availability or diversity will add more barriers to the tourism recovery process in the coming months and years,” she said.
In 2018, for example, 1 in 5 visitors stayed in an STR, representing over 41,600 visitors and a direct spend of $18.2 million.
Weeks said the district should consider the bylaw in the fall or once there was some stability around the impact on tourism, housing and the Squamish economy.
“Now is not the time to be making decisions that will have a long-term impact on the tourism industry,” she said.
Louise Walker, the executive director of the Squamish Chamber of Commerce, agrees.
“The Squamish Chamber would like to see a pause in the bylaw process and wait until at least fall to review. After summer, we should all be in a better position to make informed decisions, with more data on the impact of COVID-19 on the economy, STR inventory, housing demand and potential conversion from STR to LTR,” she said.
The chamber thinks that the most restrictive option would decrease the number of people visiting town and curtail visitor spending anywhere from $6 million to $9 million.
Carol says
Thank you to Chamber of Commerce and to Tourism Squamish. I have been in a quandry regarding the STR first reading, which is highly restrictive, an economic barrier, and forcing people like us to consider options that we never meant to consider. I opened my STR in 1995, followed all the rules of the day, provide many services that I would not provide to a long term renter, am charged extra Water, Sewer Garbage rates, extra insurance,,, the list goes on.