Committee tables two vacation-rental license requests amid broader code review

The Planning and Development Committee tabled two vacation-rental license applications — for 1726 Emerson Street and for the coach house at 1839 Darrow Avenue — on April 14, 2025, to allow broader review of the city’s vacation-rental code and related enforcement efforts.

Council member Burns moved to table the item and Council member Kelly seconded; the chair announced the motion passed. The motion came after multiple council members and staff discussed a simultaneous enforcement push to notify unlicensed short-term rentals and a pending referral to the Housing and Community Development Committee (HCDC) to consider a possible moratorium and code amendments.

Andrew Sanderoman, identified in the transcript as a building and development services manager, told the committee that staff have identified many addresses that appear noncompliant and that notices of violation are being mailed; each recipient will have 60 days from the date of the letter to apply for a vacation-rental license. Alex Ruggie, identified in the transcript as corporation counsel, said the council could change the code to require administrative renewals to return to council after one year but cautioned against imposing conditions that the law may not permit.

Council member Burns and others said they want time to develop clearer code language around owner occupancy and enforcement, and several members said they will pursue a broader policy discussion about whether non-owner-occupied short-term rentals should be restricted in parts of the city. The committee set the item for reconsideration at a subsequent meeting.