City Council

21. SECOND READING AND ADOPTION OF AN ORDINANCE ADDING CHAPTER 5.92\nTO THE ALHAMBRA MUNICIPAL CODE TO ESTABLISH REGULATIONS FOR\nSHORT-TERM RENTALS – F2M18-35, F2M24-33, O2M24-4836\nOn August 26, 2024 and September 23, 2024, the City Council considered an amendment\nto the Alhambra Municipal Code to include new regulations for short-term rentals (STRs).\nFollowing the presentation and public comment, the Council provided additional direction\nto add the following additional regulations: 1) Host: Host will be defined as a natural person\nor persons who are the owner of record on a property as illustrated on a deed or legal\ndocument. 2) Eligibility: Types of dwelling units that are eligible to be used as short-term\nrentals are single family residences, duplexes, condominiums, townhomes and multi-\nfamily rental units in buildings of less than 5-units total. 3) Building Inspection Report:\nInspections for all units were not feasible because of the amount of time needed. In lieu\nof an inspection, a building inspection report will be required to be submitted to the City\nannually to self-certify that the unit complies with regulations. Staff will be available to\nconduct inspections on a case-by-case basis. 4) Cap on STR Permits: The City will only\nissue STR permits up to a maximum of 500 active permits at any given time, or such other\ncap as set by City Council resolution. 5) Occupancy Limits: The maximum number of\noccupants for a short-term rental remain as originally proposed because an occupancy\nlimit would be unfeasible on properties with more than three bedrooms. The current\noccupancy limits provide consistency and avoids disruption to existing STR operations. 6)\nGrace Period to Obtain Permits: The grace period to obtain a short-term rental permit will\nbegin March 1st. Anticipating, the Ordinance is adopted and goes into effect January 1st,\noutreach efforts will be conducted to ensure that all potential applicants are informed about\nthe process and requirements for obtaining the necessary STR permit. The STR permit\nwill be set to renew annually from the date that the permit was issued. 7) Appeal Process:\nAn appeal process for a short-term rental revocation will be heard by the Planning\nCommission. Essentially, if a Host receives 3 violations in a 12-month period, their permit\nwill be revoked. The operator can appeal that revocation to the Planning Commission.\nStaff is requesting that the City Council introduce O2M24-4836 for its second reading and\nadopt the ordinance.\nRecommended Action: City Council declare introduced for its second reading and\nadopt the following ordinance entitled:\nOrdinance No. O2M24-4836: An Ordinance of the Alhambra City Council\nadding Chapter 5.92 – Short Term Rentals - to the Alhambra Municipal\nCode to protect public health, safety, and welfare by ensuring that the\ncharacteristics of residential neighborhoods are preserved\n10\n10-14-24