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Fractional ownership of single family homes is an issue that questions the very definition of the Incline Village/Crystal Bay area.
Is it a year-round town, where neighbors know each other and stay consistent throughout the year? Or is it a vacation town, full of homes owned by multiple people who split their time here?
The Incline Village/Crystal Bay Citizen Advisory Board heard a presentation and public comments on fractional ownership at its Wednesday night meeting.
Blaine Cartlidge, a deputy district attorney for the Washoe County District Attorney’s office, and Mike Harper, the planning manager for the Washoe County Department of Community Development, made a presentation about regulating fractional ownership.
Fractional ownership, as defined by Cartlidge, is the ownership of a single-family home by multiple people, closely akin to a timeshare. A fractional ownership may be formal in the form of a written contract, dividing time between owners.
Or, it may be informal, a situation where extended family or friends share the costs and time spent at a vacation home, Cartlidge said.
The catch, Cartlidge said, is that Washoe County only allows timeshares in a town’s tourist and commercial district. Harper said Incline’s tourist and commercial district comprises only a small portion of the community.
The county does not currently regulate fractional-ownership properties, Cartlidge said.
Gene Brockman, chairman of the CAB, said he has heard concerns from residents about fractional ownership properties and why they should be regulated.
“What I hear is that residents are concerned about their neighborhoods,” Brockman said. “People are concerned they won’t know their neighbors, and if the property will end up being rented out. I think it is safe and fair to say this is a problem in our community.”
Incline resident Andy Whyman agreed with Brockman’s assessment.
“From my preliminary perspective, I think this fractional ownership gets at what is a community. If a resident lives here with no one around them, how do they connect with their neighbors? If we move toward becoming a town where everyone is coming and going it destroys the feeling of community,” Whyman said.
Johnny Harmer, also an Incline resident, disagreed with Whyman.
“I live on a street where 50 percent of the houses are already seasonal residences or rental properties and I don’t feel like it is less of a community. I’m a CPA in the real estate industry and I see that fractional properties have higher valuations than regular single family homes. Now I don’t know but that would seem to me to equal increased tax revenues. This is a welcome opportunity to stay out of the way and not bureaucratize the situation by regulating it,” Harmer said.
Regulating fractional ownership properties can be tricky, Cartlidge said.
“We’ve looked at a couple of regulatory schemes and we’re concerned with being bedroom police. It’s hard to define what constitutes a family anymore, not impossible, but difficult,” Cartlidge said.
He said one solution would be to tighten nuisance ordinances in neighborhoods where vacation use is going on.
“There are different ways to approach this problem, such as limiting the amount of cars that can be parked in front of a property,” Cartlidge said.
Washoe County Commissioner Jim Galloway said the CAB and the Incline Village General Improvement District may want to consider regulating fractional ownership properties for their own good.
“If the trend is toward fractional ownership, if the majority of Incline is part-time residences, than that would shrink the electorate. Would this be the town it is today if IVGID’s authority is reduced by a smaller year-round electorate?” Galloway said.
The board agreed to discuss the matter and possibly take action on the issue at its next meeting.
Brockman said the first step is to decide if the board should spend tax dollars on investigating ways to regulate fractional ownership.
After that, the advisory board will pass on any reccomendations related to fractional ownership to the Washoe County Planning Commission.
Is it a year-round town, where neighbors know each other and stay consistent throughout the year? Or is it a vacation town, full of homes owned by multiple people who split their time here?
The Incline Village/Crystal Bay Citizen Advisory Board heard a presentation and public comments on fractional ownership at its Wednesday night meeting.
Blaine Cartlidge, a deputy district attorney for the Washoe County District Attorney’s office, and Mike Harper, the planning manager for the Washoe County Department of Community Development, made a presentation about regulating fractional ownership.
Fractional ownership, as defined by Cartlidge, is the ownership of a single-family home by multiple people, closely akin to a timeshare. A fractional ownership may be formal in the form of a written contract, dividing time between owners.
Or, it may be informal, a situation where extended family or friends share the costs and time spent at a vacation home, Cartlidge said.
The catch, Cartlidge said, is that Washoe County only allows timeshares in a town’s tourist and commercial district. Harper said Incline’s tourist and commercial district comprises only a small portion of the community.
The county does not currently regulate fractional-ownership properties, Cartlidge said.
Gene Brockman, chairman of the CAB, said he has heard concerns from residents about fractional ownership properties and why they should be regulated.
“What I hear is that residents are concerned about their neighborhoods,” Brockman said. “People are concerned they won’t know their neighbors, and if the property will end up being rented out. I think it is safe and fair to say this is a problem in our community.”
Incline resident Andy Whyman agreed with Brockman’s assessment.
“From my preliminary perspective, I think this fractional ownership gets at what is a community. If a resident lives here with no one around them, how do they connect with their neighbors? If we move toward becoming a town where everyone is coming and going it destroys the feeling of community,” Whyman said.
Johnny Harmer, also an Incline resident, disagreed with Whyman.
“I live on a street where 50 percent of the houses are already seasonal residences or rental properties and I don’t feel like it is less of a community. I’m a CPA in the real estate industry and I see that fractional properties have higher valuations than regular single family homes. Now I don’t know but that would seem to me to equal increased tax revenues. This is a welcome opportunity to stay out of the way and not bureaucratize the situation by regulating it,” Harmer said.
Regulating fractional ownership properties can be tricky, Cartlidge said.
“We’ve looked at a couple of regulatory schemes and we’re concerned with being bedroom police. It’s hard to define what constitutes a family anymore, not impossible, but difficult,” Cartlidge said.
He said one solution would be to tighten nuisance ordinances in neighborhoods where vacation use is going on.
“There are different ways to approach this problem, such as limiting the amount of cars that can be parked in front of a property,” Cartlidge said.
Washoe County Commissioner Jim Galloway said the CAB and the Incline Village General Improvement District may want to consider regulating fractional ownership properties for their own good.
“If the trend is toward fractional ownership, if the majority of Incline is part-time residences, than that would shrink the electorate. Would this be the town it is today if IVGID’s authority is reduced by a smaller year-round electorate?” Galloway said.
The board agreed to discuss the matter and possibly take action on the issue at its next meeting.
Brockman said the first step is to decide if the board should spend tax dollars on investigating ways to regulate fractional ownership.
After that, the advisory board will pass on any reccomendations related to fractional ownership to the Washoe County Planning Commission.
