On April 19, Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality (SPMRM) held a public hearing over Zoom to solicit public opinion and review proposed amendments to short-term nightly rental Temporary Use Permits (TUP) conditions, with mixed feelings from those in attendance.
If approved, the changes would increase the maximum occupancy of short-term rental properties to 16 and remove parking limits. A document posted before the meeting noted council was considering including a garbage policy for short-term rentals, but that was not included in the live presentation.
Council presented the proposed changes, highlighted the neighbourhoods impacted by them and considered comments from the public given at the meeting and submitted earlier in writing.
Proposed changes
The current business licensing and regulation bylaw limits occupancy to two people per sleeping room. The proposed bylaw would replace the original, increase the maximum occupancy of short-term rental units depending on the type of dwelling, remove references to “sleeping unit,” and axe a cap on vehicles parked on properties.
Main dwellings or main dwellings with an additional suite would now permit two people per bedroom plus an additional four occupants with a maximum occupancy of 16 guests. If rental accommodations in a dwelling only advertise for a suite or studio, three people per bedroom would be permitted.
For condos and townhouse properties, the allowed number of guests would be set to two people per bedroom plus two others.
In a presentation at the hearing, Nicky Jonsson, director of corporate services, said that council’s rationale for changing the number of people allowed per bedroom is that most properties in Sun Peaks can safely accommodate more than two people.
B.C.’s building code allows two people per bedroom but doesn’t require this as a maximum. Raine also highlighted that property owners in Sun Peaks are already renting properties to more occupants than current limits allow.
Council’s justification for removing the term “sleeping unit” from the new bylaw is that the term includes any room without “a bathroom, sink or cooking facilities.”
By amending the bylaw language to permit sleeping occupancy per “bedroom,” the municipality can more easily track guests based on the number of bedrooms in a residence. Additional guests can sleep in the bedrooms or safe areas in the rental.
Council also proposed removing limits on the number of vehicles parked on properties. These restrictions aren’t in place for owners who don’t rent short-term, and city staff say there have been issues with personal parking at short-term rentals due to the limit in place.
Regardless of changes to temporary use permits, the municipality is implementing a third-party software program called Granicus to address people skirting occupancy limits. The software will monitor advertisements and bookings online to ensure properties stay within advertised maximum occupancy limits.
In previous correspondence, Shane Bourke, chief administrative officer, told SPIN the software would also include a portal for complaints about short-term rentals.
Written submissions
The public sent 17 letters to SPMRM countil, of which 11 favoured the change.
The letters of support came from occupants as well as two non-resident guests. Their comments touched on the additional revenue brought into Sun Peaks, the community’s reliance on tourism, the desire for chalet-style accommodation, discrepancies between hotel and residential occupancies and the fact that properties can safely house more guests.
Six letters of submission from residents were against the bylaw change. Their reasoning included possible increases in noise complaints with more visitors, unsightly driveways due to parking, the belief residential neighbourhoods should stay residential and that rentals detract from peace.
Verbal Submissions
During the meeting, council examined the properties impacted by the changes and called for public comments from residents who live on affected streets.
Two residents provided verbal submissions in support of the new bylaw, while three residents opposed the changes, expressing concerns about the number of guests permitted in short-term rentals, residential neighbourhoods permitting short-term nightly rentals and parking limit changes.
Raine said SPMRM councillors would review all concerns raised by homeowners and debate them before any decisions are made, adding contention over parking allowances is one of many concerns he and his colleagues will be discussing.
A video of the meeting is available on the SPMRM Facebook page.
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