New rules for short-term rentals heard

If you were planning to rent out a shipping container or RV on your property in Coulee Dam, or use it for events such as weddings, sounds like you’re out of luck, but the town council heard last week exactly how short rentals will be allowed and under what circumstances.

Mike Manning, of SCJ Alliance went through a long list of requirements Wednesday night during a public hearing before the regular council meeting, seemed like common sense, but some added restrictions you might not think about.

Among those are an annual requirement to pass an inspection; apartments don’t qualify if they’re not on a lot with a single-family home. If an accessory dwelling unit is on the lot of a single-family home, they can’t both be used for short-term rentals.

If you’re well-off enough to buy a house in Coulee Dam but want to live out of town, you’ll need a property manager in charge who lives within 30 miles.

You’ll need a comprehensive site plan that shows onsite amenities, off-street parking, the floor plan for sleeping rooms (no more than two adults in those), the locations of fire extinguishers (in every room), circuit boxes and shut-off valves.

The proposed ordinance will require a property management plan that includes emergency contact information, shows how the property will be maintained, the garbage taken out and the lawn mowed, among other things.

The council’s next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 25. The ordinance could be passed then if final state approval comes through by then.

In another planning matter, two properties across Lincoln Avenue from city hall are identified in the town’s comprehensive plan for “recreational” use, for some reason. The owners of each would like their property zoned as “commercial,” which in Coulee Dam also allows for residential use, as well as for uses such as a bed and breakfast. The properties hold what were once dormitories during construction of Grand Coulee Dam. One is owned by Hospital District 6, which uses it to house visiting medical professionals. The other is a private home of John and Lori Adkins, who bought it years ago with a plan to operate a bed and breakfast, for which it had already been used years ago.

The necessary change in the city comp plan also must wait for approval from the state Dept. of Commerce.