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Council adopts land-use study; staff flagged short-term rental limits as an option
Summary
The City Council approved a motion to adopt the land-use study and asked staff to draft a resolution. The study includes data and an option to restrict short-term rentals; current short-term rentals require an administrative conditional-use permit and performance standards, inspections and a neighbor notice.
The Columbia Falls City Council voted to adopt the city’s land-use study and directed staff to draft a resolution for the next meeting.
The study includes an analysis of short-term rentals and presents restriction options for the council to consider as the city rewrites its subdivision and zoning code following completion of the land-use plan. City planning staff told the council the consultant was asked during early scoping to address short-term rentals and provided “the data and the tool for the city to look at that” as part of the broader rewrite.
Planning staff said short-term rentals currently are allowed only by administrative conditional-use permit and must meet drafted performance standards. Those standards require inspection and licensing, an inspection or certification from the fire marshal and the health department in the first year, and a local contact phone number so officials can call the owner if there is a complaint. Staff also said neighbors are notified by letter when a conditional-use permit is processed and that applicants must provide an additional parking space for short-term rental units.
Council members discussed that the land-use rewrite provides an opportunity to “latch” short-term rental rules into the new subdivision and zoning code or to eliminate them as an option. No specific ordinance text was adopted at the meeting; the council’s action was to adopt the study and have a resolution drawn up for the next meeting.
The measure passed with roll-call affirmations from Councilor Lovering, Councilor Peiper, Councilor Price, Councilor Robinson, Councilor King and Mayor Barnhart.
Council members and staff noted the study is intended to inform future zoning and subdivision code changes rather than to immediately change permit procedures.
