Resident asks zoning board about variance path after short-term rental license barrier

A Petoskey resident told the Zoning Board of Appeals she had been using a renovated house on West Jefferson Street as a short-term rental and asked whether she could obtain a license or a variance to continue that use.

At the May 6 meeting, the resident, identified herself as Patty Chapman of 552 West Jefferson Street and said the house is directly next to the hospital. She said she and her co-owner renovated the property during the COVID-19 period and used it as an Airbnb. Chapman said she feared that current zoning would cause a short-term rental license application to be rejected and asked whether a variance or other relief was available.

City staff member Lisa Denoyer told Chapman she had the right to appeal and that what Chapman was likely seeking was a use variance. Denoyer explained the variance standard: the applicant would need to show a practical difficulty demonstrating they cannot use the property for its intended, zoned purpose. Denoyer also said Chapman could pursue rezoning through the planning commission if she preferred that route.

Chapman said other properties on her street had been grandfathered for short-term rental licenses and that she believed her property might have qualified had she known to apply earlier. Denoyer confirmed Chapman could apply for a variance without first being denied a license and advised that the meeting’s public-comment period is not the venue for extended back-and-forth discussion.

The board did not take formal action on Chapman’s request. Staff directed Chapman to the appropriate application pathways and noted that rezoning requests and variance petitions follow separate processes.