While issues associated with vacation rentals are not unique to Santa Fe, many people seeking solutions to the city’s affordable housing crisis say such properties have stirred controversy here much longer than in most communities.

Daniel Werwath, the former housing policy adviser for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, tracks the debate back at least a quarter century, or “since time immemorial,” as he refers to it.

Santa Fe’s status as a tourist destination and its high percentage of vacation homes and backyard casitas occupied only occasionally by their owners prompted discussions on short-term rentals even before the popularity of online platforms such as Vrbo and Airbnb surged.

“This isn’t a new problem for us,” Werwath said, noting attempts were made to regulate the industry in Santa Fe

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