At the Nov. 7 Riverside County Board of Supervisor’s meeting, nearly 70 people spoke during the three-plus hour public comment period on draft Ordinance 927.2, Regulating Short Term Rentals (STR).

Many of them were either Idyllwild residents or have property in Idyllwild. Below is a summary of their comments to the supervisors about the revisions to the STR ordinance.

Two locals, Michael Pacey and Kelly Halbeissen, siblings, both spoke to the issue of limiting ownership of STRs in Idyllwild to two properties per owner.

Pacey spoke first and told the board that he and his wife moved from Oregon to work full time in the family vacation business of managing their privately owned STRs.

The limit of two permits “would put us out of a livelihood that we just found,” he shared and concluded with, “927.1 brought us into Idyllwild but 927.2 threatens to put us on the street.”

Halbeissen spoke next and gave a history of their vacation rental business that started informally 20 years ago. Having bought a cabin in Idyllwild, which she and her husband did not use as much as they expected, eventually they invested much of their retirement savings into acquiring four more cabins. Owning and managing five STRs became the family business.

All of their properties meet code requirements and they pay the Transient Occupancy Taxes (TOT). But if they were to change the ownership among the family members, the STR certificates would be revoked and they would have to reapply as if they were new STR owners.

She urged and pleaded to the supervisors to correct this situation. At the conclusion of the board discussion, this was one of the few issues the board requested the planning staff to address in the next 927 iteration later this month.

Joel Feingold, a frequent attendee at the STR hearings, lamented the continued growth of STRs in the Idyllwild area. As the number increases, it endangers the public health and safety of residents, guests and the environment, he began.

After enumerating the problems, he stressed, “Idyllwild is a remote rural retreat. Its infrastructure remains rural in nature, exhibiting narrow steep roads with a lack of shoulder parking.”

He urged them to pass the ordinance and was pleased that they proposed no changes to the cap and density language.

After the meeting, he wrote in an email to the Town Crier, “While the majority of the town wanted tighter restrictions on cap and density, the fact that it appears these two aspects will at least be in 927.2 is a subtle win.”

In her comments, Marsha Kennedy of Idyllwild told the board she did not oppose STRs, but felt a lower cap would be in the area’s best interest.

On the other hand, Martha Sanchez, a vacation rental business owner, felt the board was taking action without adequate data. She felt that businesses that support STRs were not adequately represented on the community groups.

“I’m very scared and concerned about 927 and its direction … There is misinformation,” she argued and noted that her revenue was declining.

Woody Henderson of Pine Cove followed and he also urged the board to approve the new STR ordinance. “I’m asking today for a quick passage of 927.2 draft and appreciate the cap, density and two certificates per owner stipulation.”

Then he recommended some changes. A lottery for new STR certificates should be limited to properties within the commercial area, avoiding approval of STRs on noncounty roads, and to reduce the cap limit to 400 and the density to 200 feet.

Mark Dean of Pine Cove shared similar views with Henderson. He favored a 10% cap and 300 feet between STRs.

David Hunt, Idyllwild resident and former Idyllwild Water District (IWD) director, expressed a concern not raised frequently that he said the county is overlooking.

“It has to do with our water supply and wastewater system overload,” he stated. Hunt believes the growth of STR use is overtaxing the wastewater system in Idyllwild. Until IWD replaces the current treatment plant, he urged the board to continue the moratorium on new STRs on the Hill. He also urged the board to set the STR cap for Idyllwild at 10%.

“We have a very limited underground water supply which will eventually become contaminated from septic seepage,” he opined. “Our mountain infrastructure simply cannot handle massive numbers of visitors. We cannot afford to lose our precious water supply. Idyllwild already has the highest density of STRs in the state.”

Several Idyllwild residents voiced their opinions by calling into the meeting. Kristy Frazier is concerned about how an increasing number of visitors will affect a potential wildfire evacuation since the three main roads in and out of Idyllwild and Pine Cove are all one lane. She also is worried about the number of people on the trails and their effect on the local environment.

Chuck Meece, a recent Idyllwild homeowner, articulated a concern shared by many residents. “The big question is who decided residential areas can include commercial interests, that motels in residential areas are a good idea?”

Alexandra Koromzay appears to be one of the property owners who has been paying her TOT, through Airbnb, without an STR certificate. She argued that her property should be included in the Tier 1 group that would have priority for the new STR certificates.

However, the county has not confirmed whether they have made that clarification or not for her property.