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Page County proposes 90‑day steering committee to study short‑term rentals' impact on housing
Summary
Supervisors and planning commissioners agreed to gather data and consult stakeholders before considering regulation: a 90‑day steering committee was proposed to inventory short‑term rental conversions, locations and impacts on long‑term housing supply.
At the Sept. 2 joint session, Page County officials turned to short‑term rentals and their connection to the county’s housing availability. Planning Commission members asked the Board to define the specific problem they want to solve; supervisors and commissioners described two related issues: houses being converted to short‑term rentals and an existing shortage of long‑term, workforce housing.
Unidentified Speaker 1 said citizens report a lack of long‑term rentals ‘‘because as soon as a house goes on the market... somebody... buys it and puts it up as a VRBO or Airbnb and that's another property that's no longer available for somebody who wants to live here and work here.’’ Unidentified Speaker 2 urged the group to check whether the perceived shortage is borne out by data, noting the packet indicated roughly 6.7%–7.8% of county houses were short‑term rentals.
Unidentified Speaker 5 proposed appointing a 90‑day steering committee to gather precise data (how many residences converted, where conversions are occurring, pace of change), consult with short‑term rental owners and the public, and return recommendations in December. "We could appoint those members, give a 90‑day deadline, and then at the end of that in December... we could get that presentation," the speaker said. Planning commissioners and staff signaled willingness to participate in a broad stakeholder group if formed.
Speakers also linked the short‑term rental discussion to a broader affordable‑housing challenge. Unidentified Speaker 9 warned of people living in RVs and said zoning receives two to three complaints a month about RV residents, indicating some residents may be housing insecure. The group discussed manufactured housing and existing allowances for two dwellings on a property as potential tools.
What’s next: The Board discussed forming a steering committee and scheduled community engagement in October to gather public input. No regulatory changes were adopted at the meeting; staff and commissioners will assemble data to inform future policy options.
