Zoning Issues hot topic at Realtors meeting

Sonoma County Supervisor and the county's Deputy Director of Planning Jennifer Barrett talked to Healdsburg area Realtors this week about vacation rentals.

In 2005, there was an audit done of all the properties that are in Land Intensive Agriculture zoning areas. That audit found that there were 27 properties in those areas that were paying transit cccupancy tax but did not have permits to do so. Four of those properties are in agriculture reserve land, of which two of those will have to be closed. 

Since 2005, Sonoma County has created a permit process. There is now a limit on how many people can occupy these properties. Two per bedroom plus two is the standard.

When the $700 permit is applied for, it pinpoints who is responsible for rowdy guests and other nuisances. Now, when there is a problem, that contact is the person who deals with the problem rather than the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office or other county officials.   

There are still gaps in the policies that need to be addressed further.

The Board of Supervisors was ready to make policy changes with the information that they had. That information was not complete enough, in the opinion of the Realtor community. Since then, there have been several meetings to gather more information and make a more informed decision.

These decisions effect District 4, our area, more than any other district.  McGuire has really stepped up to make sure these policies improve our quality of life as well as optimize the TOT.

OPEN HOUSES 

$475,000. 621 Brown St. Healdsburg, 2 Bdrm, 1 Bth

$1,795,000. 1810 W. Dry Creek Rd. Healds. 3 Bdrm, 2Bth

$470,000. 1433 Birdie Windsor, 4 Bdrm/2.5 Sat. and Sun.

$469,000. 606B N. Cloverdale Blvd 3 Bdrm. 3 Bth