Sisters officials are considering regulating vacation rentals in the city.

The Sisters planning commission has twice discussed vacation rentals, and though regulating the short-term rentals would entail a long process through public hearings and the City Council, City Manager Brant Kucera said any future regulations would be in the best interest of citizens.

“The most important thing is that the process is intended to really hear from all sides to come to some resolution that we all agree is beneficial to city,” Kucera said. “That includes perspective from both sides.”

Concerns from the public and the planning commission revolve around balancing the wishes of property owners who rent all or part of their properties as a means of income, and those who worry about losing the character of their neighborhoods in the process.

“You have to balance private property owners and losing the quality of life for owners who are there year-round,” he added.

Talks of setting regulations for short-term or vacation rentals began in the planning commission in August after the City Council identified vacation rentals as a potential area of improvement during its annual goal setting.

The planning commission continued the discussion at its Oct. 19 meeting and the major issues were identified as the quality of life and character of neighborhoods in Sisters and the availability of housing as the applications for vacation rental permits has tripled since 2016, said Community Development Director Patrick Davenport.

The planning department has issued 15 land use permits for vacation rentals this year, compared to five in 2016.

“There seems to be a rush to get permits in so we are examining the regulations,” he said. “There is some concern for housing stock for rentals to become short-term rentals and we don’t have a whole lot of requirements. Right now there are no spacing requirements, no maximum number of rentals and no inspection program.”

Sisters currently has 1,200 residential units, including 45 known short-term rental units.

The most important part of the process is the public’s involvement, Davenport said, as the discussion moves from the planning commission to the city council. The community is encouraged to participate through various public hearings or written comments, Davenport said, before any code changes or rules would be set.

“We encourage everyone to bring in their comments, mail, email, discuss, and participate in workshops. We welcome them,” he said. “We want folks to understand where we are at because there is this concern that we are taking away current vacation rentals. But any possible regulations would only apply to new permits so we won’t be taking away anyone’s units. We encourage everyone to participate and ask questions.”

The planning commission will continue to discuss vacation rental regulations at its next workshop on Nov. 16 before it would recommend any code changes to the city council.

— Reporter: 541-617-7829, acolosky@bendbulletin.com