New vacation rental permit — 1234 Santa Ynez Ave

Vacation rentals change the character of a neighborhood — parking, noise, and who your neighbors are on any given weekend. They also take a home off the long-term rental market in a town where housing is already tight. That is why the County caps Los Osos at 50 short-term rentals and requires 500 feet of spacing between them.

As of this month, 44 of the 50 allowed permits have been issued. This application would bring the total to 45. Staff have preliminarily confirmed the 500-foot spacing requirement is met; the nearest existing permitted rental is on Mountain View, roughly 620 feet away.

Proposed conditions of approval include: a two-vehicle on-site parking minimum, a posted 24-hour local contact, quiet hours from 10 PM to 7 AM, and annual re-inspection. LOCAC's Land Use Committee is expected to recommend approval subject to these conditions, and to flag the town's approach to the final six permits before the cap is reached.