Planning Commission will hold hearing on Nov. 13
information released
The Chelan County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Nov. 13 to take comments on proposed updates to the county’s short-term rental code.
The hearing will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at the Confluence Technology Center, 285 Technology Center Way in Wenatchee. The meeting will be available on Zoom. Watch the Planning Commission website for the link as the hearing date nears.
At the hearing, Community Development, the county’s planning department, will present a staff report sharing updates recommended by the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). The hearing then will be opened for public comment. People wishing to comment will have three minutes to speak.
Community Development is currently taking written comments on the short-term rental code. About 200 comments have been received so far. To submit your comments, email them to CD.Comment@co.chelan.wa.us.
In July 2021, the Board of County Commissioners passed the new code, Chapter 11.88.290, that establishes the operating standards of the county’s short-term rental industry, which has seen rapid growth in most recent years. Since the code was passed, other counties around the state have reached out to Community Development as they too look to establish standards for short-term rentals.
Earlier this year, the BOCC asked the Planning Commission to review portions of the short-term rental code that have raised questions from both county staff and the public, or sections needing language updates. Chelan County Commissioner Kevin Overbay explained that the board is not opening up the entire code.
“The board wanted to take a look at a few issues, such as on-site parking, occupancy and administrative language, that have raised some questions from both Community Development staff and the public,” Overbay said. “By asking the Planning Commission to review specific areas of the code, we have an opportunity to potentially improve upon sections of the code that have been in place for the past three years.”
Following the public comment portion of the hearing, the Planning Commission will deliberate and make a recommendation to the BOCC. Community Development staff will then make the recommended edits from the Planning Commission to the code and forward those changes to the board. The BOCC will hold another public hearing at the board level. No dates have been set at the board level.
