Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Short Term Rentals topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission weighs options for short-term rental rules, staff to return with goals-based draft
Summary
Planning staff led a wide-ranging discussion on short-term rental policy — where to allow the use, owner-occupancy rules, caps tied to housing counts, lodging tax collection, and enforcement options — and will return with draft goals and ordinance options after commissioners provide guidance.
Planning staff reopened a policy-level conversation about short-term rentals in Saint Joseph, asking commissioners to define the goals that an ordinance should achieve and to consider multiple regulatory pathways.
Staff (Unidentified Speaker 4) said the city could limit short-term rentals to a downtown commercial district, extend allowances into residential zones with owner-occupancy requirements, or allow non-owner-occupied rentals with caps tied to total housing units. The staff presentation highlighted possible permit frameworks (interim use permits, conditional use permits, or a dedicated short-term rental license), parking and nuisance enforcement, lodging tax collection, and the need to balance housing preservation with economic flexibility.
Commissioners and participants discussed likely demand drivers (college events and festivals), parking impacts in residential neighborhoods, whether homeowners would naturally self-regulate through existing noise and nuisance laws, and whether to start with minimal regulation and monitor outcomes or set upfront caps. Several commissioners voiced a preference for a lighter regulatory approach with clear definitions and lodging-tax collection; staff asked commissioners to prepare goals for the next meeting so a draft ordinance or options can be produced.
