Residents urge limits, ad hoc review as council weighs vacation rental changes

During the public comment period on the proposed short‑term rental ordinance, multiple residents described neighborhood disruptions linked to vacation rentals and urged the council to impose stronger limits or convene a stakeholder group before eliminating the 51% residency rule.

Henry Bornstein told councilors that removing the residency threshold without replacement safeguards would allow unchecked conversion of housing stock. "Every ordinance says what you allow and what you don't allow. What this ordinance says is do a, b, c, d, e, you get a permit, and there's no limitation at all," he said. Cisa Harris and Carolyn Jarrett recounted neighborhood impacts and urged an ad hoc committee to gather broader public input; Greg Folsom, a former city manager, described repeated weekend disturbances at a neighboring rental and recommended a hard cap on overnight occupancy and stricter parking rules.

Speakers proposed concrete measures including a capped percentage of properties allowed as vacation rentals in a neighborhood, a hard cap of eight overnight occupants regardless of bedroom count, stricter parking requirements ensuring all vehicles fit on private property, and expanding quiet hours. Several asked the council to require verification of owner residency using tax returns, driver’s licenses, or voter registration if the 51% rule is removed. The volume of public concern helped drive the council’s decision to implement a Good Neighbor contract immediately and convene an ad hoc committee to design further measures.