1000 Friends of Oregon v. Clackamas County

514 P.3d 553, 320 Or. App. 444
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedJune 23, 2022
DocketA177973
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 514 P.3d 553 (1000 Friends of Oregon v. Clackamas County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
1000 Friends of Oregon v. Clackamas County, 514 P.3d 553, 320 Or. App. 444 (Or. Ct. App. 2022).

Opinion

Submitted April 1, affirmed on petition and cross-petition June 23, 2022

1000 FRIENDS OF OREGON, Respondent, and Dennis TYLKA, Respondent Cross-Petitioner, v. CLACKAMAS COUNTY, Petitioner Cross-Respondent. Land Use Board of Appeals 2021003; A177973 514 P3d 553

In a land use action, the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) reversed and remanded Clackamas County’s decision to adopt Ordinance ZDO-273, which amended the county’s Zoning and Development Ordinance (ZDO) to authorize the short-term rental use of dwelling units and guest houses for up to 30 con- secutive nights throughout the county, including on farm and forest land. LUBA explained that ORS 215.283 and OAR 660-006-0025 strictly regulate the use of dwellings located on resource land, and concluded that state law does not expressly allow the short-term rental use of dwellings on land zoned for resource uses. On review, the county contends that LUBA erred in concluding that state law must explicitly provide for the short-term rental of a dwelling in order for dwellings otherwise legally authorized in resource zones to be used as such. Held: LUBA’s order was not unlawful in substance. LUBA was correct to conclude that the county’s amendments to the ZDO violated the provisions of ORS chapter 215 and its implementing regulations. Affirmed on petition and cross-petition.

Nathan K. Boderman and Stephen L. Madkour and Clackamas County Counsel, filed the briefs for petitioner- cross-respondent. Dennis Tylka filed the brief, pro se. Andrew Mulkey filed the brief for respondent 1000 Friends of Oregon. Before Shorr, Presiding Judge, and Mooney, Judge, and Pagán, Judge. Cite as 320 Or App 444 (2022) 445

SHORR, P. J. Affirmed on petition and cross-petition. 446 1000 Friends of Oregon v. Clackamas County

SHORR, P. J. This case involves a dispute related to the use of homes as short-term rentals on farm and forest land in Clackamas County. The county adopted Ordinance ZDO- 273, which amended the county’s Zoning and Development Ordinance (ZDO) to authorize the short-term rental use of dwelling units and guest houses for up to 30 consecutive nights throughout the county, including on farm and forest land. Petitioner 1000 Friends of Oregon (1000 Friends) and intervenor-petitioner Dennis Tylka (Tylka) sought review of the county’s decision by the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA). LUBA agreed, in substantial part, and, accord- ingly, remanded the county’s decision. The county and Tylka each seek judicial review of LUBA’s decision. We affirm on Tylka’s cross-petition without discussion, and we write to address the assignment of error raised in the county’s peti- tion. We review the LUBA order to determine if it is “unlaw- ful in substance,” ORS 197.850(9)(a), and conclude that it is not. We therefore affirm on the petition and cross-petition. BACKGROUND We take the pertinent background facts from LUBA’s final order and from undisputed evidence in the record. In 2019, the Clackamas County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) instructed county staff to look into ways to allow and regulate short-term occupancies of homes throughout Clackamas County, including homes that are often advertised on websites such as Airbnb, HomeAway, VRBO, VacationRentals.com, or Booking.com. At that time, short-term rentals were not specifically addressed in the county’s ZDO. The county thereafter began a two-part proj- ect to authorize and regulate the short-term rental use of dwelling units and guest houses. In November 2020, the county completed one part of the project with the adop- tion of Ordinance No. 09-2020, which created a new chap- ter in Clackamas County Code (CCC), title 8, Business Regulations. The new chapter establishes a registration program for short-term rentals in the county. It further sets out standards addressing elements such as maxi- mum occupancy and minimum parking requirements, and compliance with the county’s garbage requirements, noise Cite as 320 Or App 444 (2022) 447

control, parking, and towing ordinances. The chapter also includes enforcement mechanisms such as penalties and fines for noncompliance with the terms of the registration program. In December 2020, the county completed the second part of the project with the adoption of Ordinance ZDO-273, which makes amendments to the county’s ZDO in chapter 202 (Definitions) and chapter 833 (Special Use Requirements - Guest Houses) to modify the definition of “dwelling unit” and expand the allowed use of guest houses. The amend- ment to ZDO 202 expanded the definition of “dwelling unit,” which had, prior to the amendment, provided that it was “designed for residential occupancy by one family.”1 The amendment added the following italicized language: “A building, or portion thereof, with one or more rooms designed for residential occupancy by one family. A dwell- ing unit may be occupied by one family or, except as other- wise provided in this Ordinance, may be used for residential occupancy by no more than 15 persons for a period that does not exceed 30 consecutive nights by any one person.” In ZDO 833.01, regarding guest houses, the amendments removed a requirement that the “[o]ccupants of the guest house and the primary dwelling shall live together as one housekeeping unit” and removed a prohibition on a guest house being a source of rental income. The following itali- cized language was added and the language with the strike- through was deleted: “A. Use: A guest house shall be used only by members of the family residing in the primary dwelling, their non- paying guests, or their nonpaying employees who work on the premises, .A guest house shall not be a source of rental income. or for residential occupancy by one or more paying guests for a period that does not exceed 30 consecutive nights by any one person. Residential occupancy by paying guests 1 ZDO 202 defines a “family” as “[a]ny individual or group of persons, regard- less of relationship but not exceeding 15 persons, living together as a single housekeeping unit within a dwelling unit”; a “housekeeping unit” is defined in relevant part as “a living arrangement within a dwelling unit in which the kitchen, living and dining rooms, and other general living areas of the dwelling unit are shared in common, and the duties, rights, and obligations associated with the performance of domestic tasks and management of household affairs, are shared by residents by virtue of legal relationship or mutual agreement.” 448 1000 Friends of Oregon v. Clackamas County

plus occupants of the primary dwelling shall not exceed 15 persons. “* * * * * “E. Facilities: Occupants of the guest house and the primary dwelling shall live together as one housekeeping unit, sharing the kitchen and laundry facilities in the pri- mary dwelling. The guest house may contain include one bathroom plus one additional sink, but shall not include laundry facilities, a stove, oven, or other cooking appliances.” 1000 Friends petitioned for review to LUBA,2 rais- ing two assignments of error: 1) that the county’s expansion of the allowed use of a dwelling unit on farm and forest land conflicted with the statutory meaning of “dwelling” in ORS 215.283

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
514 P.3d 553, 320 Or. App. 444, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/1000-friends-of-oregon-v-clackamas-county-orctapp-2022.