Parksville has requested an exemption to the provincial government鈥檚 Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act for several of the city鈥檚 land-use designations.
Mayor Doug O鈥橞rien wrote a letter to Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin and Minister of Housing Ravi Kahlon asking for the exemption in certain areas of the city.
鈥淭he request for exemption is for purpose-built vacation homes, or rentals that are in the area and we鈥檝e identified it to the minister,鈥� O鈥橞rien said during council鈥檚 Dec. 18 meeting. 鈥淲e鈥檙e certainly not against the main proponent of the STR (short-term rentals) accommodations act.鈥�
The letter asks the province to allow short-term rentals in units that are not an owner鈥檚 principal residence in several Parksville land-use designations that include Resort Lands, Tourist Commercial, Downtown Waterfront and Restricted Recreation.
The legislation was tabled by the BC NDP on Oct. 15, but key parts of it won鈥檛 come into effect until May 1.
It defines short-term rentals as any accommodation provided to the public for less than 90 consecutive days; establishes registries for both hosts and platforms like Airbnb, and an enforcement unit; toughens penalties for violators; and limits short-term rentals to principal residences and one additional unit per property.
O鈥橞rien鈥檚 letter says the exemption is justifiable based on three factors.
鈥淔irstly, the areas in question were never intended for long-term residential purposes and as a result, infrastructure was designed for temporary and seasonal tourism uses,鈥� the letter says.
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He added Parksville鈥檚 economy depends heavily on the tourism industry, which needs the areas for short-term visitor accommodations.
鈥淔inally Parksville has already constructed enough residential units to satisfy observed historic and projected growth until 2026,鈥� the letter says.
O鈥橞rien continued in the letter that the mentioned OCP designations were never intended for long-term residents.
鈥淭his request is not an attempt to evade responsibility for ensuring a healthy housing market,鈥� the letter says. 鈥淏ut rather a request that the Province recognize our community鈥檚 unique and varied accommodation needs.鈥�
He also cited data from the Parksville Qualicum Beach Tourism Association that estimated 1,160,400 people visited the region in 2019 and contributed an estimated $190 million to the local economy.
-with a file from Wolf Depner
