I am writing this letter to the Lewis County commissioners and to The Chronicle.
It is in response to actions Lewis County has taken (mostly inaction, actually) in regards to Lewis County zoning rules on short-term rentals and on why I believe the process does not represent the wishes of the majority of people in Lewis County.
In a recent survey conducted by Lewis County Democrats, the two most important issues for all groups of people in Lewis County are the cost of housing and the cost of health care. Working class people typically rent while richer people own the place they live in. To help lower income people, we (the voting public) need to find ways to decrease the cost of long-term rentals.
In much of East Lewis County, especially where I live in Packwood, there are very few available places for renters. Most of the houses are used for short-term rentals. This means there are few houses left for lower income people who live in my part of East Lewis County. With lower supply comes higher prices. So if you are a low-wage worker in Packwood who needs a place to live, you are out of luck.
The Lewis County Planning Commission recommended stricter short-term rental regulations. Several owners of short-term rentals expressed their anger at public hearings. The Lewis County commissioners decided to ignore the recommendations of the planning committee and appoint a commission instead.
The committee that Lewis County commissioners made is rigged. Here is a quote from the article referenced above about the make up of their commission, “Six members will be short-term rental owners with two from each of the county’s three legislative districts. Another three will be average residents of the county. Finally one member will represent the hotel industry and another will represent Lewis County fire districts. Those appointed to the advisory board will serve four-year terms.”
So there are 11 members on the committee. Six members represent short-term rental owners and nobody there specifically to represent people who need a long-term rental.
Whose interest do you think they will fight for?
It is not like working class people looking for a place to live need help, right?
Please go to the website for the Lewis County commissioners and tell them you want your commissioners to represent renters and help low-wage workers in our community to obtain affordable housing.
Daniel Meekof
Packwood
