HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-01-14 Planning MIN_Exhibit 01
Ashland Planning Commission
January 14, 2014
Page 6 of 6
To: Ashland Planning Commissioners
As Ashland residents who live in a community zoned R‐1 for single families and who have had the unfortunate
experience of discovering shortly after we moved into our new home in 2010 that our next door neighbor was
illegally operating a vacation rental, both my wife and I are strongly opposed to allowing traveler's
accommodations in R‐1 single family zones.
We purchased our home expecting that we would get to know our neighbors in a community with long‐term
residents. We would not have purchased the home if we had known that large numbers of strangers would be
coming and going right next door for most of the year. With support from the City Planning Office and our
homeowner’s association, our neighbor was persuaded to cease short‐term rentals. Now we discover the City
Planning Commission is considering recommending a change to R‐1 zoning that would allow our neighbor to
resume that activity.
We believe such a change would basically destroy the concept of single family residential areas in Ashland. The
Planning Commission and the City Council need to uphold the existing R‐1 zoning laws that promote and
encourage a suitable environment for family life and maintain property values. The City of Ashland should not
break faith with those residents that paid the price to live in a neighborhood of single families.
Jim & Helen Orr
407 Clinton Street
Ashland
Exhibit #2014-01