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Planning and Zoning Commission recommends short-term-rental moratorium, presses staff for maps and code edits
Summary
After public comment and code-review discussion, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-0 to ask City Council for a six-month moratorium on new short-term-rental approvals while staff prepares maps, registration letters for grandfathered units and consultant recommendations on density and code changes.
The Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council adopt a temporary moratorium on new short-term-rental approvals while the city refines code language addressing density, saturation and notification procedures.
Commission members discussed staff-provided mapping of existing short-term rentals, options to broaden mailed-notice radius beyond the statutory 300-foot minimum, and potential internal policies such as reusable yard signs to improve local notice. Commissioners asked staff to prepare maps and an Excel list of existing units and to draft registration letters for units that are currently grandfathered under the city’s code.
A commission member recommended asking council for a moratorium so the commission and consultant can draft guidance on how to limit concentration on specific streets; another member seconded the recommendation. The motion passed 4-0.
Planning staff (Chris) told the commission the map and spreadsheet will be ready for the April meeting and that most existing short-term rentals are grandfathered under the current ordinance unless they alter their nonconforming use. Staff also said they will coordinate with the fire department for inspections and registration compliance.
Commissioners discussed several proposed process improvements included in a redlined zoning-code document: removing an extra Planning-and-Zoning public-hearing step for text/map amendments to accelerate timelines, formalizing a pre-application meeting or policy so applicants and staff align before filing, and establishing administrative-relief thresholds (examples discussed: 10–15% for setbacks/lot coverage; 5–10% for parking and signage) to reduce the number of variances.
The commission requested that staff prepare the mapping, a word version of the redline document for easier review, and options for adjusting notice radii (several commissioners suggested moving from 300 feet to roughly 500 feet). The commission also discussed the limits of their authority and the need to send a formal recommendation to council, which alone can adopt an ordinance or moratorium.
The commission adjourned after setting follow-up tasks and scheduling further discussion in April when the consultant will appear.
