Bigfork vacation rentals – a blessing or a curse?

When my spouse and I bought our 20-acre property in Bigfork, we thought we had found just the right place to both raise our children and also retire.

The property’s meandering lawns and bike-friendly driveways made it an idyllic playground for children. And though the property’s existing structures — a yoga studio, a guest apartment, workshop and barn — did not provide an appropriate living space for our target family size, we figured we could build on to one to create our family home and ultimately rent out the other two for passive income.  These property features were important because we were in the early years of child rearing but in the later years of our professional lives.  

Though good in theory, the reality was that only a year into our new home’s construction, our bank account was hemorrhaging from budget “overage” after “overage” and we feared we would never afford to finish. We invited our esteemed Realtors over to estimate our property’s current market value and sale readiness. I tried my best to get my head around the logistics of selling, but it broke my heart to think about letting go of all that we had invested emotionally, creatively and financially. I couldn’t see how this could be our story and giving up was not what I wanted to model to our son.

Therefore, instead of selling, we “dried in” and “stopped down” construction and considered any and all options to earn income, which included: starting an entertainment law practice; public health consulting; writing; teaching; a property and animal-care business; network marketing; and selling our eggs, produce and livestock. We also decided to rent our guest apartment — initially to the couple that sold us the property while their home was being built, and then to other couples and small families visiting Bigfork. Since we wanted to keep it ready to accommodate visits from our far-away family and friends while generating income in the interim, a vacation rental seemed like the perfect solution.

In Bigfork, there are nearly 400 vacation rentals currently listed on VRBO, HomeAway, Airbnb, TripAdvisor, and other sites, as well as through local Realtors and property-management companies. But here’s the catch: Though Flathead County allows the rental of homes, guesthouses and ancillary dwelling units, there is an implied stipulation that rents must be for 30 days or more. “Implied” because as Erica Wirtala, public affairs director of Northwest Montana Realtors Association, explains, “when you open up the county zoning guide and don’t see short-term in either permitted or conditional uses, then it’s an illegal use.”

The problem is many property owners, like us, didn’t interpret the omission of short-stay rentals to mean that renting for less than 30 days is illegal. Even management professionals would agree to manage Bigfork’s non-compliant vacation rentals unless their property-owner clientele received neighbor complaints. Indeed, it was a neighbor complaint that brought the illegality of short-stay rentals to our attention. Though the vast majority of our guests were quiet and respectful, a larger family that stayed last summer invited friends over after attending a nearby wedding. Their loud voices prompted us to remind them to observe our property’s curfew and quiet down. Subsequently, we started to more strictly limit, vet and regulate those who stay on our property, but our neighbors had already filed a complaint with the county.

That’s when we learned rentals must be 30 days or more. We therefore applied for a Camp and Retreat Conditional-Use Permit to combine a new vision for short vacation farm-stay retreats with very occasional small-scale day camps for writers, artists, hobby farmers, youth, and/or families wanting to reconnect with nature. If approved, we hope to share our forested sanctuary with visitors, while earning needed income and bringing business to our friends who own and operate restaurants, markets, outdoor rentals, services for dog sledding, boating, fishing, and other outdoor adventures; sell farm produce and locally made products; and clean homes and provide grounds maintenance.

Stimulating the local economy is important to us because we always noticed that alongside high-end homes occupied seasonally by the wealthy, there are many low to middle-income residents living in much more modest homes striving to sustain themselves year round. Many families’ households depend on at least one family member commuting outside of Bigfork on a daily basis or working weeks at a time in North Dakota, Alaska or elsewhere. Others work remotely from home, providing consulting services to clientele elsewhere. Many also supplement their income by renting parts of their property to travelers on an occasional basis. Without the influx of tourists, many key Bigfork business including grocery stores and restaurants would simply close, leaving our town without essential goods and services for its residents. Our local economy already teeters on the brink, with shops and restaurants closing or relocating every year.

Despite the fact that vacation rentals help our economy, some argue that there would be more affordable housing if not for vacation rentals. The thinking is that homes might otherwise be available for sale, if not for the option of turning them into vacation rentals, or that these homes might at least be rented to full-time tenants at regular rental market rates. However, the reality is that most Bigfork property owners would prefer to let their properties sit vacant until occupied by friends, family or themselves because they are not interested in exposing their nicely furnished and fully equipped properties to the kind of constant wear and tear, regular traffic, monthly rent collection, and other challenges associated with full-time tenancy. And several homeowners just can’t afford to rent at affordable monthly rents and still meet their mortgages.

Some Bigfork residents argue Bigfork’s limited lodging accommodations are adequate and short-term vacation rentals bring outside visitors who disturb the peace and privacy of neighborhoods. However, visitors bedding down on tucked-away private properties actually helps to keep the current feel and flavor of Bigfork, and is more desirable than giant corporate hotels dominating the landscape which ultimately push local residents and small locally owned businesses out. Perhaps you’ve seen the once quaint town you visited as a child turn into another cookie-cutter corporate-run town with its Sheratons, Starbucks, and Olive Gardens. Without private, short-stay vacation rentals many tourists would either not visit Bigfork, or would stay elsewhere and travel in and out by day. This would increase the traffic pressure to and from feeder areas, ultimately decreasing the desirability of visiting Bigfork altogether.

Private vacation rentals are the current preferred mode of vacation accommodation, making travel more affordable, enjoyable and easier. It’s a win-win for travelers, property owners, and ultimately, the community. Throughout the nation, cities, counties and states are grappling with the best way to manage this new travel landscape. On Feb. 8, Flathead County Planning and Zoning will consider changing current zoning regulations to allow and more carefully regulate the number, density, conditions, and outcomes of private vacation rentals, and to ensure the least disturbance and most benefit to all concerned.

Gilbert is a resident of Bigfork.