San Diego Rescinds Short-Lived Short-Term Rental Regulations

Lori Weisberg reports:

Faced with a referendum seeking to repeal San Diego’s new restrictions on short-term rentals, the City Council did just that on Monday, but left open the question of how it will regulate home sharing in the future.

The repealed regulations were adopted over the summer. The short-lived regulations "barred the short-term rental of second homes but would have permitted the use of primary residences for short term stays six months out of the year," according to Wiesberg.

Another article by Lisa Halverstadt picks up on the ongoing dilemma, exacerbated by the council's action this week, of how the city should regulated short-term rentals.

“We don’t want to be in limbo for two years,” said City Council Pro Tem Barbara Bry, who earlier this year led the effort to enact the controversial rules.

The rescission is the latest setback in a years-long debate that’s paralyzed city leaders.

Now they’ll have a new challenge: City Attorney Mara Elliott’s office says any new rules introduced within the next year must be “essentially different” than the rules enacted in July, meaning the City Council can’t just make a few tweaks and move forward.

Short-term rentals aren't the only controversial aspect of the city's housing policy currently challenging San Diego officials. Local progressives are also calling on the City Council to rewrite the city's inclusionary zoning policy.