by Pete, Matt, Michelle, Doug
The Mountain Times
Hello, neighbors!
Memorial Day is approaching – that may mean loud parties, over-occupancy, trespass, and other issues in some of our poorly managed short-term rentals.
You probably know that Clackamas County approved a two-year pilot program partly regulating the STRs on September 7, 2023. They turned over administration of the program to the finance department. The regulations were supposed to be implemented December 5, 2023. A $200K transfer from the Tourism Development Council was given to the County to get started. It has been six months now since the implementation date. We have seen nothing but a not-always- working registration website and tax paying portal.
One of the regulations has been generally ignored by most management companies and owners. This regulation called for all STRs to have a sign that is clearly visible when seen from the road. The signs are supposed to include 24/7 contact information and the STR registration number. After six months we have had the following reports about properties with no signs: ten from Twinberry Loop, eight from Rippling River and six others. We are only receiving information from a very few neighborhoods. If you want to help us, please send us all the STR addresses on your street and let us know if they have signs up. We intend to present to the county with as many addresses as we can. If we have the records, we can push the county to do what they said they would do. Remember, information is power! And to keep the STRs from taking over our community: we need all the power we can get.
If you want to help, please mail those addresses and sign status to: info@mthoodlive.com
Pete, Matt, Michelle, Doug – Mt Hood Livability Coalition
my thoughts, other careers came careening by and my passion to write was placed on the back burner. Now that I am back into the art of the written word, it is an outlet that now has an even bigger and better place in my life.
Although the journalistic approach to writing is a non-biased and complete factual account of names, places and events, becoming a staff writer for the Mountain Times has realigned my focus on writing and is now something I do often as a fun, creative outlet. With several short stories, poems and a novel saved for future adventures, being able to express myself with words is something that is both a blessing and a curse. The fear of failure and judgment that comes with putting your imagination on paper can be a very nerve-racking experience, but I have found it is better to put those ideas into characters, quotes and a storyline rather than let them go to waste.
As a resident of the Mt. Hood Villages for over a decade now, I have grown to love and appreciate this most beautiful area in so many ways. As a local business owner of Coffee House 26, I have seen the many ups and downs that come with living in a tourist destination. During our shutdown with Covid I decided to take my love for reading and writing and incorporate it into my coffee shop, with the addition of new and used books for sale. Sharing both my love for coffee and reading was a dream come true, and it truly seemed to ignite a passion in others, too. Those passions came in the form of a book club, book donations and a theme every month for showcased novels.
With each passing month as a local journalist, I am reminded why I keep the art of writing a huge part of my life. Each interview, article, draft and final proof continues to inspire me to dig deeper into our community for other passionate artists and newsworthy stories. And while being a business owner, journalist and reading enthusiast is a large part of who I am both professionally and creatively, I will always be Amber Lynn, Youngstown, Ohio native, Mt. Hood local, meatball makin’ cat mom at heart.