LETTER: An Outsider’s View of Pagosa’s Vacation Rental Controversy

I read Mr. Hudson’s editorials from 2018 and the recent ones concerning vacation rentals in Pagosa Springs. The following thoughts are from an outside perspective from someone with very little skin in the game.

I have been looking at buying a house in Pagosa Springs over the last few months and moving from Los Alamos, New Mexico (I am retired). My interest peaked at about 80% just last week. I was just waiting for a house I liked to come on the market.

Now however, since reading about vacation rentals I am reconsidering and it is very unlikely I will pursue moving to Pagosa Springs.

I do not want to live in a neighborhood with a lot of vacation rentals. I prefer to have neighbors I can get to know and chat with from time to time. There were many valid concerns brought up in Mr. Hudson’s editorials; too much trash, overflowing septic tanks, loud parties, living in a motel district etc. I understand owners have a right to use their property as vacation rentals, and it brings in tourist money, but others have a right to live in a peaceful neighborhood. Can these two opposing outlooks coexist?

I visited the AirDNA link mentioned in the recent editorial and was surprised at the number of rental properties in Pagosa Springs (probably a lot of naivety on my part). From my perspective a lot of vacation rentals in a neighborhood without the owners being present is at the expense of those that want a nice quiet place to live. I do like the Denver and Boulder regulation that property owners and long-term renters are allowed to apply for an Short-Term Rental license only if it’s their primary residence.

While looking for a home, I noticed that there are a significant number of houses being sold near Hatcher Reservoir; is this because people with vacation rentals are selling them due to the potential for the stricter permit requirements, or because there are too many vacation rentals in the area and permanent residents are tired of them, or is it just a normal occurrence? I think it would be advantageous for buyers if the realtors would mention nearby vacation rentals in their write up about properties, although this might discourage people from buying, so I understand why they don’t.

I will keep an eye on what is happening with vacation rental regulation in Pagosa Springs, but for now I will look elsewhere for a house.

Thanks for the editorials on this issue; they were very informative for me.

Jim Lake
Los Alamos, NM

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