The Coastal Commission is taking a flexible stance on short-term rentals, conceding that there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution; however, there is tension with local communities when it comes to regulation. As for low-cost lodging, the Commission sees a need for below market-rate rooms and is looking at ways to encourage more low-cost alternatives. We sat down with Stanley Lamport, a partner at law firm Cox, Castle & Nicholson, for an exclusive interview to discuss the Commissions stance on short-term rentals and lodging.

GlobeSt.com: What is the Coastal Commission's stance on short-term rentals?

Stanley Lamport: With respect to short-term rentals, there is tension between local opposition to short term rentals and the Commission's position that regulations prohibiting short-term rentals in the coastal zone are policies that must be approved by the Commission before they can be implemented. The two most common local objections to short-term lodging are its effect on local residential communities in the coastal zone and its potential to reduce the availability of housing in the coastal zone. The Commission has been flexible in its response and has recognized that one size does not fit all when it comes to regulating short-term rentals. A number of coastal communities have developed very interesting regulatory schemes that allow short term rentals, but in a manner that does not allow them to overwhelm an existing residential community. But there is tension between efforts to open up more short term lodging in the coastal zone and increasing housing opportunities in the coastal zone that will need to be resolved.