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Short-term rental operators urge City Commission to restore renewal path after UDC changes
Summary
Operators of Type 2 short-term rentals told commissioners the Unified Development Code change removed renewals for many existing permits; staff acknowledged unintended impacts and said they will bring a text amendment back to preserve existing legal operators.
At the April 14 meeting a group of short-term rental operators raised an unintended consequence of the city's recently adopted Unified Development Code. Tessa Whitmer, who identified herself as a Type 2 operator, told the commission that the UDC eliminated the ability for many existing Type 2 permits to renew and that operators only learned of the change months after the code took effect. "We relied on the city's written representation that 'the UDC does not affect the short term rental ordinance,'" Whitmer said; staff later acknowledged that representation was incorrect and that about 65 Type 2 short-term rentals were affected in RA zones.
City Manager Winn acknowledged the problem and told operators that staff will prepare a text amendment to restore a renewal pathway for existing legal operators in the RA zoning districts, similar to a 2023 approach used when the city eliminated Type 3 permits. Winn said staff would bring a range of options for commission consideration.
The commission did not take immediate action but asked staff to return with proposed text and options for protecting existing permitted operators while ensuring enforcement and compliance.
