Planning panel approves 90-day moratorium on new vacation-rental applications, moves several pending licenses to council

The Evanston Planning and Development Committee voted unanimously to approve a 90-day moratorium on the acceptance of new vacation-rental license applications, and in the same meeting approved three pending vacation-rental licenses while denying a fourth after a neighborhood complaint. The committee approved a resolution as amended that bars the city from accepting new vacation-rental applications until the city’s code is revised. Director Flax told the committee that owner-occupied vacation rentals are currently processed administratively but said the moratorium will apply to applications not already submitted: “Anybody who has not already submitted an application, we won't accept them,” Flax said. The moratorium was advanced so staff and the council’s housing and community development review body (HCDC) can draft clearer definitions and a revised ordinance addressing owner occupancy, length of stay, furnished vs. unfurnished units and other distinctions that staff and council members said are unclear in the current code. Council members discussed whether “owner occupied” should be defined as occupying a property more than 50% of the year and whether short-term uses such as corporate housing, traveling nurses or construction workers should be treated differently from tourist rentals. In separate votes earlier in the meeting the committee approved vacation-rental license applications for 1503 Fowler (owner Carrie Kelly), 2005 Emerson Street (applicant/manager representing an out-of-town owner), and 606 South Boulevard, Unit D (owner listed as Brothella Quick). Director Flax said staff had no complaints on those properties. Kelly told the committee she lives two doors away from 1503 Fowler and said her listing had “5 out of 5” reviews. The committee denied a license for 1717 Ridge Avenue (units 615, 715 and 815) after the clerk forwarded a written complaint from a nearby resident. Sandra Kading (noted in the complaint) wrote that short-term rentals at that address would create “big party rentals” and cited parking and the surrounding mix of housing as concerns. The committee’s roll call produced three votes against and two in favor, and the motion failed. Director Flax and council members also gave the committee some data on the current local market: Flax said the city has 65 active vacation-rental licenses, and that “55% of those are owner occupied.” Flax also said staff had identified roughly 230 listings the city began contacting and that some hosts removed listings when contacted. The moratorium vote was advanced as an amendment that struck language limiting the moratorium only to non–owner-occupied properties; the committee’s chair said the amendment returned the referral to the original intent filed by council members. Council members said renewals would not be affected and that the moratorium is intended to provide time for HCDC and staff to draft clearer rules. HCDC is expected to take up the code rewrite in October, and council members said they expect proposed ordinance language to return to the full council after that HCDC review. No ordinance language or permanent policy was adopted at the meeting; the moratorium is a temporary measure to pause new applications while staff and HCDC prepare revised rules.