Page 66 - Rural Tourism Report Washington County

CHAPTER 3: THE WASHINGTON COUNTY RURAL TOURISM SECTOR

There may be little awareness of existing provisions • Consider requiring a land use permit for
for rural overnight stays, however, since not many all farm stays/vacation rentals to enable
people appear to be taking advantage of the existing tracking of locations and so that neighbors

opportunity. As indicated in the earlier discussion of can be notified for input. (Planning staff
the County’s research on 127 rural sites – only two notes that the County does not currently
were offering overnight stays via a bed and breakfast regulate vacation rentals, while B&Bsrequire
model, and one was offering full overnight rental of permits. Notice of a B&B approval, however,
an existing on-site farmhouse (as a short-term rental is currently only provided to neighbors when
such as AirBnB or VRBO, not currently regulated proposed on EFU/AF-20 land).
by the County). Rural overnight stays can also be • Consider how/whether various forms of
allowed in certain districts in the form of camping or overnight farm stays should be required to
seasonal fishing or hunting lodges. be registered with the state as a business and
required to collect state and local lodging tax.
The following suggestions are based on input from
farm operators who offer or have attempted to 7. Marijuana Tourism?

offer overnight farm stays in western Oregon and The potential for marijuana-based rural tourism in
57
examination of existing allowed uses by County staff Oregon is a possibility now that recreational as well
and the consulting team: as medical marijuana are legal. State regulations

• Consider revising the state allowances for however, don’t allow public access to growing
rural bed and breakfast facilities upward to operations, nor do they allow public marijuana use.
allow more than five guests and up to nine
rooms, increasing potential for profitability. MarketWatch, an online financial news site published
by Dow Jones & Co., writes, “Other states are
• Further explore the range of ways that existing
or new farm houses and buildings on land that proceeding cautiously in their efforts to market
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is already developed with farm buildings could themselves to would-be marijuana tourists.” That
potentially be used for lodging (provided they article quoted Linea Gagliano, Travel Oregon, who
satisfy building codes for safety and residential cited remaining questions about public consumption
use). and advertising as reasons why Oregon hasn’t begun
to heavily market itself as a destination for marijuana
• Consider changes to the County’s Community enthusiasts. “For now, we’re going to stick with
Development Code to allow small inns in Rural those things that we know are compelling reasons
Commercial (R-COM) and other non-resource to visit Oregon” such as culinary and natural
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districts, scaled to support needs of the rural attractions, Gagliano said.
community. These could provide for overnight
stays near farmlands without displacing the In short, the potential effect of marijuana
legalization on rural tourism is unknown at this
protected resource farmland itself.
time.
57 Survey by Scottie Jones for MARStewart Group, May-June, 2015.
58 http://www.marketwatch.com/story/marijuana-tourism-is-a-budding-industry-2015-08-25, By Kathleen Burke Published: Apr 23, 2016 8:23 a.m. ET
59 http://www.marketwatch.com/story/marijuana-tourism-is-a-budding-industry-2015-08-25, By Kathleen Burke Published: Apr 23, 2016 8:23 a.m. ET

62 WASHINGTON COUNTY RURAL TOURISM STUDY