Permit Sonoma (county planning department) has been working on the Local Coastal Plan (LCP) for years. The LCP governs planning, development and many other issues in the “coastal zone” – including the performance standards for Vacation or Short-term rentals and hosts.
A public hearing (via Zoom) was held on October 7th before the Sonoma County Planning Commission. The county Planning Commission went over the LCP status. Another Planning Commission meeting (via Zoom) was held on 11/18/2021. The PRMD staff went over the proposal to regulate vacation rentals countywide – including in the Coastal Zone. The next Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for January 2022.
Once the Planning Commission recommends a revised LCP for consideration by the Board of Supervisors, a public hearing will be scheduled for adoption by the Board of Supervisors. After adoption by the BoS, the California Coastal Commission will hold a hearing to certify the Board adopted LCP.
Concurrent with the LCP development is the county’s drafting a new VR Ordinance that will revise the current law, and extend VR regulation into the coastal zone.
The public will have an opportunity to provide comments and recommendations at both the Board of Supervisors and Coastal Commission hearings.
Once certified, the LCP will be implemented through an updated Coastal Zoning Ordinance and revised Administration Manual. That’s when the VR Ordinance will be finalized and be reviewed by the BoS and CA Coastal Commission. These documents are subject to the same public review, hearings, and certification process as the LCP.