By Claudia Iseman
Following a county-wide crack down in February 2024, short-term rental permits in the Aptos/La Selva district have been especially hard to obtain. Despite the stricter rules and regulations, the majority of residents remain opposed to un-hosted vacation rentals on their streets.
On Townsend Drive in Aptos, resident Jack Brown mounted a campaign to derail an un-hosted short term rental two doors down from him at 519 Townsend Drive. Brown received a postcard in the mail informing him of his right to make a public comment on the proposed rental.
“We were completely shocked,” says Brown. “These are absentee owners. They’re never here and there are problems; like their smoke detector going off. Then their water main broke. How are they going to manage a vacation rental?”
Brown got together with his neighbors and collected 128 signatures in hopes of getting the permit denied. Brown admits he frequently uses Airbnb when he travels, but insists he doesn’t use the rental to host parties or cause problems in the neighborhood.
Brown says he’s heard from homeowners nearby about bad experiences with short-term rentals regarding traffic and noise and he doesn’t want that to happen on his street.
According to Tiffany Martinez, Communications Officer for the Santa Cruz County Department of Community Development and Infrastructure, staff members from the development division reviewed the public comment on Jan. 23 and will issue a report.
“Further restrictions on the permit could apply and it’s possible the permit could be set back, but not necessarily denied,” said Martinez.
She expects homeowners will get approval for the permit at 519 Townsend Drive. Martinez says the county has increased enforcement of STRs and if homeowners don’t follow the rules they risk having their permit revoked.
“Santa Cruz County feels short term rentals exacerbate the housing shortage, limit available parking and increase noise levels,” said Martinez.
Across the bay, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors sent a proposed ban on un-hosted STRs to county staff earlier in January.
The county has struggled for years to find a fair ordinance affecting residents of Carmel Valley, Carmel Highlands and Big Sur. “It’s just crazy!” said Lynda Marin, Secretary of the Monterey County Vacation Rental Alliance. “We’ve been working on this (an ordinance) for 10 years,” said Marin. The MCVRA is well organized and boasts about 200 members.
The alliance has an attorney and filed a lawsuit against the county in November 2024, claiming the ordinance was unnecessarily restrictive and parts of the proposed ordinance are illegal.
“We love our homes and our neighbors. We want to be an asset to the neighborhood,” said Marin. “We already have a lawsuit in place and we are not giving up,” she added.
TOP PHOTO: Neighbors don’t want 519 Townsend Drive to be an un-hosted vacation rental.