PG residents start petition to regulate short term rentals

A petition is floating around Pacific Grove asking the Mayor and City Councilors of Pacific Grove to make all short term vacation rentals in PG 100 percent owner occupied, 100 percent of the time.

Petitioners said people are coming from the Silicon Valley and other countries, buying homes in PG with cash and renting them out. They said this is forcing families out of their homes, causing issues with noise, parking and trash. Petitioners said they are not asking for a hard stop or complete ban, just a compromise where the renters will be on site and have some accountability.

“We have lovely inns, lovely bed and breakfast,” said Jenny McAdams with PG Residents for Families and Neighborhoods. “We have nice accommodations already that are set up to be commercial hotels. So to have our neighborhoods to be kind of inundated by additional lodging, it just doesn’t really make sense.”

Pacific Grove Community and Economic Development Department Director Mark Brodeur released this statement to KION:

“With regard to short term vacation rentals , the City Council directed my staff to return to them a year after the Short Term Vacation Rental Program had been in place. The year has ended and the Department will be addressing the Council on May 17th to address the pro’s and con’s of the Program. We have been listening to both sides of this issue and feel we have some very good technical modifications. The Department will provide the Council with several options for their consideration at that meeting.”

Pacific Grove short term rental advocates told KION they believe people should be able to do what they want with their homes and that it’s better to have a home occupied most of the time than to have it empty. They also said short term renters pour hundreds of thousands of dollars into the local economy when they come and stay in PG.