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Brighton subcommittee votes to let short-term rental cap rise with new housing
Summary
The Short-Term Rental Subcommittee voted March 18 to recommend removing a date-specific clause that fixed the Silver Fork cap at a numeric level so the town's 15% limit will adjust as new homes are completed; attorneys were asked to draft language (target May 1) for council review.
The Brighton Short-Term Rental Subcommittee voted March 18 to recommend changing the town's language that fixed the numeric cap on short-term rentals in Silver Fork, so the 15% cap will automatically adjust as residential units are added.
The recommendation came after staff reported there are currently 30 licensed short-term rentals in the Silver Fork neighborhood and multiple residents described safety and congestion problems in parts of the canyon. Committee member Carolyn moved to remove the date-specific phrasing that had anchored the cap at a particular number; Barbara seconded the motion and members voted in favor.
The change responds to long-running questions about whether the cap should be a fixed number or a percentage tied to housing stock. Town attorney Cameron explained that the ordinance is written as "a percentage rounded to the nearest whole number," meaning the percentage produces a numeric cap that can grow as new residences are added. Committee members asked the town's attorneys to draft specific ordinance language implementing the rolling-percentage approach and suggested using May 1 as the annual calculation date so applicants on waiting lists would have time to complete inspections before winter.
Supporters said the amendment would keep the cap proportional as the community builds more homes while allowing staff to continue enforcing neighborhood protections. Opponents and some residents urged stronger local limits for particularly steep or single-access roads, citing multiple winter incidents and traffic problems in Mule Hollow and on Mountain Sun/Louge Road.
The subcommittee's recommendation will be forwarded to town attorneys to draft precise language for council consideration; any ordinance change would require council action before taking effect.
