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Astoria adopts vacation-rental licensing ordinance after heated public comment
Summary
After hours of public testimony and council deliberation, the Astoria City Council adopted Ordinance 25-07 establishing a vacation-rental licensing, permitting and enforcement program with a 4–1 roll-call vote; supporters framed it as a safety and housing-protection measure, opponents said it will punish small businesses and historic property owners.
The Astoria City Council voted 4–1 on June 2 to adopt Ordinance 25-07, a citywide vacation-rental licensing program that sets permitting, renewal windows, fee rules and enforcement options for short-term rental operators.
Supporters said the ordinance is aimed at safety and protecting housing supply. Andy Kipp, president of the Astoria Housing Alliance, told the council the proposed rules "build in the work by ensuring that commercial operators are held to the same safety standards" and called the measure "not punitive. This is good governance." City staff explained the ordinance includes three changes adopted after a May 19 first reading: removing a requirement to list third-party booking platforms on new applications, clarifying renewal handling with a 60-day reapplication window, and applying revocation to operators rather than properties when violations are egregious.
Opponents, including multiple downtown property owners and operators, said the ordinance will add burdensome fees and inspections, harm small businesses and jeopardize the financial viability of rehabilitated historic structures. Karen Allen, owner of Pier 11, said the proposed cap of 50 units and other requirements "slap our hands" and threaten her ability to maintain over-water commercial buildings, noting annual insurance costs alone of "$36,085.64." Several speakers urged the council to remove the cap or to table the measure for more data and stakeholder engagement.
Councilors questioned staff on fees and enforcement mechanics. City Manager Spence and Community Development Director John Roberts said initial fee proposals under discussion included a $500 fee for new vacation rentals and a $150 renewal (with $25 per additional unit for multi-unit operators) and that fee revenue would be held in a billing/building fund intended to make the program self-sustaining. Staff emphasized the ordinance targets life-safety and code compliance rather than routine landlord-insurer requirements.
After deliberation, Councilor Lam moved to adopt the ordinance. Roll-call votes recorded Councilors Davis, Mozzarella, Adams and Lum in favor and Mayor Fitzpatrick opposed. The ordinance becomes part of the municipal code as adopted; staff will return with fee resolutions and administrative details.
The council’s next procedural steps include finalizing the fee resolution and scheduling related administrative actions; several councilors said they were open to future code tweaks and to revisit the cap if market conditions change.
