Photo by Stacy Doolittle

News of this proposed Alta Loma and Sunset Avenue housing project in Joshua Tree was received on short notice and the deadline for comment is today, but we are publishing our our letter of concern sent today to the County planning staff. You will find in it a summary of our concerns about issues ranging from water use to native plant removal. 

Photo by Bonnie Hawthorne

In a May 14 press release, MBCA published a position statement about the short term rental crisis in the Morongo Basin. In addition, MBCA announced the release of an 8-minute locally-produced video it commissioned, intended to show decision-makers how residents and businesses have been negatively affected by the STR-triggered housing crisis. 

 

A HUGE THANK-YOU TO THE 476 PETITION SIGNERS AND 133 COMMENTERS. THE SUPERVISORS AGREED TO A 45-DAY HIATUS ON APPROVING NEW STR APPLICATIONS THROUGH THIS URGENCY ORDINANCE.

There is an increasing lack of long term rental housing in the Morongo Basin due in great part to the conversion to short term vacation rentals. (See MBCA's February 3 News post for more background and resources on this.) The Housing Element of the County Wide Plan is updated on an 8-year cycle and is subject to detailed statutory requirements and mandatory review by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Without notification to the public, San Bernardino County filed a Draft Housing Element in December 2021. They received a reply from HCD stating “revisions will be necessary to comply with State Housing Element Law.” The letter not only mentions the state's consideration of input from MBCA President Steve Bardwell and Board member Janet Johnson (our letter of October 19, 2021), but also provides 13 pages of detail where the report needs revision or does not comply with requirements.

The San Bernardino County Planning Commission's draft Short Term Rental (STR) ordinance agenda item on February 3 was continued to the next meeting, or more likely to a Special meeting to be determined at the next meeting (February 17). More than 5 hours were devoted to the topic, including the staff presentation, more than 60 public comments, and lengthy dialogue among the Commissioners. Key issues of further consideration included whether to allow an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) to be an STR, whether different desert and mountain conditions should dictate different ordinance details for those areas, and many other complex issues. MBCA Directors were disappointed at how little acknowledgement there was of housing inequity. The large increase in STRs has greatly reduced affordable rental housing especially in Morongo Basin communities (see Wayne Hamilton letter for more data).

Below is a series of lists, maps, comment letters and other documents that were provided by MBCA to the Planning Commission and other County entities to elaborate on the short-term rental problem in the Morongo Basin particularly.

Chart of STRs by Zipcode January 2022
MBCA’s 2.2.22 STR Comment letter
MBCA’s 10.19.21 STR Comment letter
Map of SB County Supervisorial Districts|
Data comparison of SB County Districts
Map of STRs by Zipcode January 2022
Map of SB County size compared to 4 states
Wayne Hamilton, MUSD Housing Liaison, Letter to Sup. Rowe

 

 

San Bernardino County now provides an online Short Term Rental Map for viewing permitted short-term rentals (STRs) in unincorporated areas of the County. While permitted and well-managed STRs provide income for local residents and businesses, the effects on quality of life due to the escalating number of such properties that are unpermitted and/or not well-managed have been increasing. 

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors approved an urgency ordinance at their June 22 meeting that significantly increases fines for illegally-operating short term rentals in unincorporated areas. The rural residential lifestyle in a healthy desert environment that MBCA works to preserve has been negatively affected by the proliferation of short-term rentals in the Morongo Basin. One problem is poorly managed or illegal properties with problematic guests and another is the greatly reduced availability of reasonable long-term rental housing for local residents. Articles in the Hi Desert Star and Desert Sun and KCDZ 107.7's report interview local hosts and residents and explore the problems and status of this issue.

At their October 27 meeting, the San Bernardino County Supervisors adopted all recommendations from Land Use Services concerning the new Countywide Plan, including repealing the 2007 Community Plans. During Public Comments preceding the vote, five MBCA Directors made public comments from the Joshua Tree and Hesperia video-connection sites, requesting the Supervisors adopt and update the 2007 Community Plans rather than repeal them. Third District Supervisor Dawn Rowe asked County staff a number of thoughtful questions, including several related to MBCA’s concerns, then asked that the recommendation regarding the repeal of Community Plans be a separate vote. When that occurred, she voted against the repeal though it passed 4-1.

Since the process began over 5 years ago, MBCA has closely followed San Bernardino County's efforts to develop a Countywide Plan. The resulting plan is scheduled for adoption at the Supervisors' October 27th meeting and includes the repeal of the 2007 Community Plans. MBCA maintains that the existing Community Plans are necessary for unincorporated communities to have a say in future development. MBCA's comprehensive letter sent to the County's Land Use Services staff and Supervisors on October 23rd addresses the background and rationale of this argument.  The letter concludes:

 

MBCA has sent a letter to San Bernardino County Land Use Services and the Countywide Plan Coordinator with concerns about the Environmental Justice Policy proposed as part of the Countywide Plan. The Plan is due for consideration at a September 17 Planning Commission meeting. Of special concern is why Lucerne Valley has not been designated an "Environmental Justice Focus Area" (EJFA), and why other communities that should qualify by state descriptions do not qualify for the same protections.