Olympic Peninsula Lodging Alliance
Olympic Peninsula Lodging Alliance is a coalition of homeowners,
tourism-related businesses, service providers and others dedicated
to the support of the vacation rental community and other lodging
options in Port Angeles and on the Olympic Peninsula.
Mission
To educate and advocate for the Olympic Peninsula hosting communities and all stakeholders to guarantee a robust economy for everyone and a world-class experience for our guests.
Vision
To ensure a thriving lodging community on the Olympic Peninsula that blends seamlessly into our neighborhoods and contributes to the economic success of our communities.
Current Status
With pressure from OPLA, the Port Angeles City Council has lifted the extreme limit of 50 STRs and voted to allow 200 throughout the city. Clallam County will be taking up the issue of STRs in 2025.
Vote for STR Supporters Johnson, Tozzer and Heberling
As you prepare to vote in the November election, it’s crucial to choose candidates who support short-term rentals. This is especially important now because the issue of short-term rentals is set to come up again in 2025 at the county level, where only three commissioners will be making decisions, and one has already expressed a preference for zero STRs!
We urge you to consider voting for Randy Johnson. Randy doesn't align strictly with any party. He has decades of business experience, understands the challenges of our community, and bases decisions on data and facts, with a focus on setting measurable goals and driving accountability. Based on Kate Dexter’s comments at the League of Women Voters, she appears more in favor of adding regulations.
In addition, two STR supporters are running for positions on the Clallam County Charter Review Commission. The Commission holds significant power, since it can place initiatives and referendums on the November 2025 ballot and advise county commissioners.
Jeff Tozzer, in District 1, is an STR owner and author of the blog “Clallam County Watchdog,” which seeks to hold county officials accountable. Brian Heberling, in District 3, helped spearhead the Olympic Peninsula Lodging Alliance (OPLA) and serves as its executive director. Through the work of OPLA, an attempt by members of Port Angeles City Council to limit STRs to just 50 was staved off, increasing the limit on the number of Airbnbs from 50 to 200, and the geographic boundary was expanded to the entirety of Port Angeles.
Brian has decades of experience in land use, planning, design and construction, so he knows how to tackle challenges effectively, and he’s passionate about doing what it takes to build workforce/affordable housing. Brian also has a history of actively working with city and county leaders to address key issues.
By voting for STR supporters you’re not just choosing candidates, you’re shaping a future that values our community’s economic well-being. Let’s work together to ensure a thriving environment for short-term rentals in Clallam County!
Harnessing the Power of Community
Over the past several months, the Olympic Peninsula Lodging Alliance has built relationships with key constituencies in Port Angeles and Clallam County, including short-term rental (STR) owners, local businesses, tourism and events organizations, local government and those who rely on STRs for their income. Our primary goal has been to protect STR owners from the Port Angeles City Council's misguided attempt to solve their local affordable housing crisis at the expense of STR owners.
The relationships we have built have given us the momentum to continue our work on behalf of our area’s communities, helping ensure that they thrive. Clallam County will take up the issue of short-term rentals in 2025, and we will be evaluating how to best expand upon our relationships to further protect our constituents' interests while also actively looking into ways to create more affordable housing in Port Angeles and the surrounding area.
City Code Now Allows Cap of 200 or 2% STRs
The Port Angeles City Council changed direction on STRs on Wednesday, March 7, during a second night of deliberations, when they approved an ordinance that will allow whole-house short-term rentals throughout the city, with no restrictions on zones and a cap of 200 or 2 percent of housing stock.
On the previous night, the Council had voted for the most extreme option (Option C), which would have allowed only 50 STRs in a single zone, with many additional restrictions.
When they took up the issue again on Wednesday, March 7, Council Member Amy Miller announced that she had spent time reviewing previous council meetings, planning commission meetings and rules put in place the previous night; she made a motion for a compromise between Options B and C that she called Option B-/C+. Council Member Amy Miller made clear that the motion she made wasn’t one she liked, but she went that direction in order to seek a compromise: “I really do feel this is meeting in the middle.” The motion passed 4-3. Council members voting in favor of the new code included: Mayor Kate Dexter, Amy Miller, Brendan Meyers and Drew Schwab.
There is now a cap of 200 licenses or 2 percent of the city’s housing stock, whichever is greater. License applications opened July 1, and since the cap was not met, there was no need for a lottery. Enforcement is set to begin on November 1.
Additional elements include:
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Only one unit is allowed per license, with one STR license per person and one license per parcel.
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No restrictions on Type I STRs, owner-occupied homes that rent out room(s).
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Fire/safety inspections to be determined by Community Economic Development staff in 1-, 3- or 5-year increments.
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A Good Neighbor policy for license revocation if an STR has three violations within a 36-month period.
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The new code will utilize funds generated by Senate Bill 5334 when it passes, which allows guest taxes to be used for affordable housing.
The code was amended on August 20 to allow narrow exceptions to the one STR per parcel, one per owner and one per marital unit requirement. STR owners who complied with the 2017 code and with the 2023 moratorium on new STRs in medium- and high-density zones and who have been operating under the same ownership as of July 1, 2024, may now avoid the additional restrictions. It is anticipated that this change will affect very few STR homeowners.
A Huge Thanks to our Supporters!
Black Ball Ferry Line, Dash Airlines, Lincoln Park BMX, Platypus Marine,
Port Angeles Business Association, Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce,
Port Angeles Planning Commission, USA BMX, Valetta Industries
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