Ordinance protects health and safety of long term motel renters

In order to ensure motels and hotels being used as long term housing were kept decent, safe, sanitary, and affordable, the City of South Lake Tahoe has created a Single Room Occupancy (SRO) ordinance. At Tuesday's City Council meeting, the first reading received unanimous approval and support.

The ordinance gives the lodging community guidelines to follow if renting out units more than 30 days.

Safe and habitable units will be made available within the next twelve months once the design and maintenance standards are approved at the next council meeting June 16.

City staffed reviewed input given during several public comment opportunities.

After listening to both sides, the renters and property owners, amendments were made to the original drafted ordinance.

The first draft was going to require electric cooktops, full sinks, additional parking spots, ADA compliance, laundry facilities and upgraded trash enclosures. The updated version will now require microwaves or the cooktop, a bar sink, no additional parking spots (since most that live in motels don't have cars), at least one ADA compliant room, no on-site laundry facilities and wire enclosed trash receptacles.

Units will have to have upgraded electrical outlets to handle the number of items long term renters normally need.

The City's building department will be able to go into each room to assess the safety situation, something they weren't able to before. It will be in the owner's best interest to have units inspected.

The goal of the ordinance is to have safe and healthy environments for the community's lower income residents who call motels and hotels home.

Once the City Council approves the new SRO ordinance on June 16, City staff will start sending out notices to property owners. Once a property owner has received one they will have 60 days to apply and pay for the new permit. Once that happens they have up to 12 months to bring all units into compliance. The reason the City is giving them a year is because renters would be displaced if all units had to be done at the same time. An owner can apply for an extension and those will be evaluated on a case by case basis.

During the public comment period a local property manager asked the City to talk to South Tahoe Public Utility District about the $3,600 fee per unit that they want for installation of the required bar sink. Size does matter in the area of refrigerators - Staff will look into the required refrigerator size on the drafted ordinance since it called for a 7 cu.ft fridge but some current units have larger ones already in place.

Staff was commended by the Council for their outreach with the community and work on the details of the new SRO ordinance.