Vacation home rentals and massage parlors tackled at next City Council meeting

The Tuesday, April 4 South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting may have a short agenda, but two hot topics will be sure to bring out interested locals.

In February, 2016, Council sent proposed changes to a sub-committee, and those results will be up for vote Tuesday.

Proposed changes to the Vacation Home Rental (VHR) Ordinance include:

- Application for a VHR permit will not trigger the need to comply to TRPA BMP and coverage compliance.
- Occupancy will be based on the number of paved parking spaces with a "Not to Exceed" occupancy consistent with current regulations (2 people per bedroom plus 4).
- New parking spaces would be constructed outside of the VHR process and must fall under City and TRPA guidelines.
- A prohibition on self-limiting the number of guests a home allows. Occupancy fees will be based on the number of bedrooms and parking spaces and cannot be less.

With an increase in the number of massage parlors currently operating in the city, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department will be making a presentation to the Council. The presentation will include the following reasons to start regulating the industry in South Lake Tahoe:

1) Provide legitimacy to the Tahoe Massage Industry and to reduce the belief that massage business has become synonymous with brothel,
2) Create a safe environment for therapists and clients

SLTPD is also asking for the update to City Code to reduce the chance of trafficking by requiring massage parlors to be certified, keep personnel records, to report change in ownership and if the owner is arrested.

The suggested business people who would be exempt for the changes would be medical practitioners and facilities, cosmetology businesses and sports trainers.

The City Council meeting starts at 9:00 a.m. and is held at the Council chambers located at the South Lake Tahoe airport.