Green Bay commission forwards short-term rental recommendations after hours of public comment

The Green Bay Equal Rights Commission voted Oct. 27 to forward a set of recommendations on short-term rental rules, including a proposed seven-day minimum stay and a 180-day annual cap, to city council for further consideration.

The commission’s action follows nearly two hours of public comment from short-term rental owners, managers and long-term landlords, who described competing concerns about local economic activity and housing availability. The commission’s referral will send the recommendations — and an accompanying draft ordinance referenced as 44-15880J — to the planning commission and then to city council for final action.

The recommendation packet, prepared by Aldo Presley and other commissioners, outlines measures intended to curb conversion of housing into year-round short-term rental inventory. Chair (name not specified in the transcript) described the effort as an attempt to “find a balance where our community members here can have a basic right, which is having a roof over their head,” while acknowledging the economic contributions short-term rental operators described.

Short-term rental owners and operators told the commission the rules proposed would sharply reduce…