The city of South Lake Tahoe has made it easier for short-term rentals to thrive in the resort city, a move that critics say will make it harder for year-long residents struggling to find affordable housing. City council members last Tuesday adopted changes to the city’s Vacation Home Rental Ordinance that remove a required 150-feet buffer between such rental properties. Instead of the spacing requirement, there will be a hard cap of 900 vacation rentals in residential areas come April 23.