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Glens Falls planning board reviews multiple short-term rental applications under sunset rule
Summary
The Glens Falls City Planning Board heard several applications from short-term rental operators and neighbors, focusing on whether properties qualify as hosted or unhosted rentals, site-plan review requirements under the city's short-term rental ordinance and parking, occupancy and safety documentation.
The Glens Falls City Planning Board on multiple occasions discussed short-term rental applications that the city code requires to appear for site-plan review during a sunset period.
Owners and neighbors spoke about properties at several addresses, including an application submitted using a 21-to-25 street address that an applicant said fronts three streets and a separate operator at 480 Glenn Street who said they had operated a short-term rental for about three years with five-star reviews and roughly 200 guests a year.
Zoning and planning coordinator Devin Roselle told the board, "No. Unfortunately, the way the code is written, these are uses, permitted uses upon site plan review, so they have to appear from the board." Roselle and staff explained that the short-term rental rules include a sunset clause that requires unhosted rentals to complete site-plan review and that building and fire inspections must sign off after planning approval.
A neighbor who identified herself as a resident at 8 Grama Avenue urged the board to review historical site-plan materials for a nearby property, noting past site-plan application 21-002 and raising questions about occupancy level, fire safety, and whether the structure functions like a hotel. She provided a written letter and a survey map to the board for the record.
Applicants addressed parking and guest communications. One applicant said they submitted a parking diagram and had told guests they may not park overnight in the street under city code; another said booking platforms perform background checks on guests. Board members asked for clarity on whether properties qualified as "hosted" (owner present or long-term tenants on-site) or "unhosted," and whether site-plan packets adequately documented occupancy, parking, and building-code sign-offs.
No formal votes or final approvals were recorded on the transcript excerpt; staff and the board discussed outstanding items that the building and codes department and the fire department must inspect as part of the overall permitting process. Several neighbors asked for clearer survey markers and documentation before further work on nearby lot lines or removal of vegetation.
Planning staff directed applicants to complete outstanding site-plan materials and noted that building and fire inspections will be required before any final permit issuance.
