GUEST COLUMN BY SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMISSIONER RHEA MILLER

Homestays or Hiltons? Your Choice….

By Rhea Miller
San Juan County Commissioner District 3

posted 06/30/04
Recently I returned from a trip to New Zealand, a beautiful, pastoral, rural landscape attracting tourists from around the world, and a favorite destination for Americans. When touring New Zealand, I noticed a void of destination resorts, large tourist hotels and motels, and condominiums on the shorelines.

Instead, this island paradise is known for its homestays, usually a small building behind the main house with a kitchenette, bed, and shower facilities. These are scattered throughout the countryside with vistas of sheep pastures, subtropical forests, and/or rugged coastlines.

These units are a relief valve against oppressive hotel chains. They are used as a relief valve for housing seasonal employees during the tourist season. They are used as affordable housing for those working in the service industry. They are used as an income boost to local farmers or single women or young families. And yes, these units are used by people like me, an ordinary tourist. No locals seemed to be offended by or afraid of homestays, or of people like me who come to see their beautiful country on a limited budget.

This is the vision I have for San Juan County, and why I work to keep our right to build guesthouses, detached accessory dwelling units, caretaker's or caregiver cabins-whatever you want to call them-whether you live on six acres on Buck Mountain or seven acres on Center Road or five acres on Lopez Sound Road. These are the places that islanders use for their guests. These are the places rented by our county employees and schoolteachers until they can find what better suits their needs, or by young families struggling to stay on the island. And yes, these places are also rented to visitors, including our vacationing family members.

A lot of time and money has been spent by a few people in the courts, on very sophisticated newsletters in your mailbox, and on smokescreens such as saying that the County Commissioners are not truly trying to help affordable housing (who are we kidding? The BOCC has a stellar record for supporting affordable housing options) to scare you with "no growth" and "double density" rhetoric. The statistics and record show that we are not doubling density with our guesthouse policy.

None of the standing Commissioners is independently wealthy nor lives in a gated community, nor is afraid to welcome others into our community. None of the standing Commissioners wants only the wealthy to be able to live or visit here.

We are coming directly to you on the ballot this November. We will be asking whether you want us to continue to fight for your heretofore right to build a guest house on rural properties or whether you are ready to give it up? You have the power to move this decision one way or another. I look forward to your input.

You are also invited to the State legislature's formal hearing in Friday Harbor, Wednesday July 21, at FHHS Commons, beginning at 12:30 p.m. on this very topic.

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