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Council hearing considers redefining 'hotel' to include short-term rentals; administration says change mostly codifies enforcement
Summary
Bethlehem officials held an informational hearing on zoning text amendments that would treat stays under 30 days as transient lodging (bringing short-term rentals under hotel rules), expand a workforce-housing incentive to the CL district, and limit one single-family detached dwelling per lot; administration said the changes primarily codify current practice.
The Bethlehem City Council opened a public hearing to explain proposed zoning text amendments that would change how the city treats short-term rentals and clarify related land-use rules.
Kathy Fletcher, the city's director of planning and zoning, told the council the package is mainly a housekeeping and enforcement clarification. Sections 1–4 would modify the zoning ordinance so that transient lodging — defined as stays of fewer than 30 consecutive days — is included in the city’s definition of 'hotel,' which would mean short-term rentals such as Airbnb would be permitted only where hotels are allowed. Section 5 would add the limited commercial (CL) district to the city's workforce housing incentive, which Fletcher said aims to support housing affordable to households earning 80% or less of area median income. Section 6 clarifies that only one principal single-family detached dwelling is permitted on a single lot; Fletcher described that change as a clarification, not a substantive new restriction.
Council members asked whether the changes would alter the city's ability to enforce existing rules. Fletcher replied that the amendments "are really clarifying" the city's current practice and "give us more teeth" to pursue enforcement when short-term rentals operate contrary to the ordinance.
Public commenters who spoke during the hearing offered mixed perspectives. Bruce Haines, managing partner of the Hotel Bethlehem and a resident of the historic district, strongly supported the amendments, saying short-term rentals have 'intruded' on the historic district and that clearer codification will strengthen court cases and enforcement. He cautioned that increased tourism and national marketing can attract out-of-town investors who buy homes and convert them to short-term rentals, reducing housing available for long-term residents. "This is really important," Haines said in support of the administration's approach.
Other residents who spoke at the hearing, including Mike Stauffer and Stefan Sheidey, emphasized neighborhood stability and quality-of-life considerations such as traffic and compatibility of new development with existing community character. Several speakers urged the council to balance measured growth and affordability goals with protections that preserve neighborhood character.
The council president closed the informational hearing and said the proposed ordinance will be placed on the July 21 council agenda for first reading. The hearing was explicitly informational and no vote was taken at the public hearing.
