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Commission backs code change to prohibit motel stays longer than 30 days
Summary
The commission voted to recommend a text amendment to village code that would bar motel or hotel rooms from being used as permanent residences by limiting stays to 30 days, with documented exceptions for corporate contracts or disaster housing.
The Machesney Park Planning and Zoning Commission voted to forward a text amendment to prohibit long‑term residential use of motel and hotel rooms, limiting individual stays to 30 days except in specified cases.
Planning staff said the village has two motels and that staff is concerned one location has guests residing there long term. Staff explained that motel rooms used beyond 30 days are not subject to hotel‑motel tax collection and that motel rooms are not built or zoned for permanent residential use because they generally lack kitchens and other building‑code features required for apartments. The proposed amendment would revise local definitions for hotels, motels and extended‑stay properties to specify a 30‑day maximum stay for individuals and to permit longer stays only if the occupant is housed via a contract with a corporate or government entity or if documented disaster‑related housing is in effect (for example, coordinated by the Red Cross).
Commissioners asked how enforcement would work and whether extended‑stay hotels would be affected; staff said the rule would apply to extended‑stay properties as well and that documentation would be required for exceptions such as corporate lodging contracts or disaster housing. Commissioners also discussed how hotel‑motel tax reporting currently reveals some long‑term stays at one property where no tax was collected because many guests exceed 60 days.
The motion to forward the text amendment passed on roll call. Two commissioners recorded “no” votes and declined to support the ordinance change; others supported it. One commissioner who voted no described the change as government overreach. Staff said the amendment mirrors how other communities handle extended‑stay definitions and would give the village a clearer enforcement tool and a way to protect tax revenue. The commission will forward the recommended text amendment to the committee and board for further action.
