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Leavenworth imposes six‑month moratorium on bed‑and‑breakfast permits
Summary
The council adopted a six‑month moratorium on accepting and processing conditional‑use permits for bed‑and‑breakfast facilities so staff can review code and methods for counting B&B units relative to a 4% cap and consider how pre‑approved residential plans are being converted to transient use.
Leavenworth’s City Council opened a public hearing and then adopted a six‑month moratorium on the intake and processing of conditional‑use permits for bed‑and‑breakfast facilities.
Planning staff told the council the moratorium is intended to give staff, the planning commission and council additional time to review concerns about homes built from city pre‑approved residential plans being converted to B&Bs and to reassess the codified method for calculating the city’s 4% cap on B&Bs. Staff said failing to address those issues could permit a higher proportion of transient lodging in residential zones than the code intended.
The hearing was set at the March 24 meeting and publicly noticed; with no additional testimony at the hearing tonight, council closed the record and moved to adopt Ordinance 1722. Council voted to adopt the six‑month moratorium unanimously.
Staff said materials provided to council included a housing‑action committee memo, the current list of B&Bs, and comparative calculations showing the city’s current method versus a proposed alternative. Council asked that staff use the moratorium period to prepare clear code amendments and analyses for council and the planning commission.
