My husband and I live in one of the Bend neighborhoods where vacation rentals are sprouting like toadstools after a heavy rain.

A few years ago, an out-of-town investor bought the property across the street from us and began renting it to vacationers. Although we would have preferred to welcome new residents into the neighborhood, we were not alarmed.

But in the meantime, four other vacation rentals have opened within two blocks of us. Our neighbor down the street is literally surrounded by them. It’s getting to the point where every time “SOLD” appears on a Realtor’s sign in the neighborhood, we immediately begin to wonder whether it will be someone’s home or someone’s cash cow.

So I am interested in reading everything the local media publish on the topic of vacation rentals. I recently read KTVZ’s online transcript of its Sept. 18 story, “Wave of Bend vacation rentals swamps city council,” and a quote jumped out at me. One vacation rental owner apparently told the reporter, “This is a resort town, that’s the whole thing. We are a resort town!” and she “can’t imagine” vacation rentals could have that much impact. As one who sees how vacation rentals are changing my neighborhood, I could not disagree more.

True, Bend is located smack in the middle of Central Oregon, which is a popular vacation destination. And yes, tourism contributes a great deal to Bend’s economy. But that is not “the whole thing.”

Bend is not a resort. It is our home. The vast majority of us work, study, worship and play here all year. We know the names of the people next door and down the street. We watch over each others’ kids, pets and property. There is a feeling of connection, of knowing who our neighbors are and that they will be there for us if we need them.

The parking problems and added noise vacationers may bring to the neighborhood are genuine concerns, but the greater issue is this: Every new vacation rental that opens for business diminishes our sense of community. Add the fact that vacation rentals are rapidly replacing long-term rentals in an extremely tight rental market and (contrary to the disbelief expressed by the vacation rental owner quoted above) I find it easy to “imagine” the negative effects an abundance of short-term rentals has on the community.

Sunriver and Black Butte Ranch are resorts. Eagle Crest, Brasada Ranch and Pronghorn are resorts. They were specifically designed to house, entertain and supply the needs of visitors to our area. The year-round residents of those developments, who form a small percentage of their populations, choose to live there despite (or maybe even because of) the transient nature of their communities.

This is certainly their prerogative. But as attractive as the resort communities in Central Oregon are, if we had wanted to live in that kind of environment we would have chosen it. We did not. Yet some Bend property owners seem to think it is their right to force it upon us so they can line their pockets.

I have a feeling tourism would continue to thrive if every vacation rental in Bend disappeared tomorrow. Long before vacation rentals were common here, thousands of visitors somehow managed to find places to stay in and near our town. And if demand is there, developers will build new hotels and condos in areas zoned for them.

But it is not necessary to eliminate vacation rentals altogether. Other cities forced to address this issue have found ways to accommodate a limited number of short-term rentals without sacrificing the integrity of their communities.

Bend can do it, too. But our City Council must act swiftly and decisively, before our neighborhoods become impersonal de facto commercial zones.

— Melinda Berry lives in Bend.