By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
St. Joseph city government might soon regulate houses being used for short-term rentals.
Using a home for an Airbnb or a Vrbo has been around for a while, but complaints have filtered to city hall about problems created when houses in a residential neighborhood are used, in effect, as a hotel.
City Manager Bryan Carter has posted some proposed regulations on the city website.
“This kind of arose from a few citizens who are affected by it,” according to Carter. “They have Airbnb or Vrbo properties within their neighborhood and they’re seeing different people coming in and out on various days. They’re seeing a little more traffic than a typical residential house might have.”
Carter says city staff is trying to balance the detrimental impact short-term rentals can have on a residential neighbor with the rights of property owners to use their property as they see fit. Carter says the city is soliciting feedback on proposed regulations being drafted by city officials.
“Feedback from folks who are affected by Airbnb or Vrbo properties next to them and who really personally understand the effect those properties have,” Carter says. “But also the feedback from those folks who own those properties, who put money into those properties, preparing to use them in this way and have really invested and honestly helped us fill a hotel room gap.”
St. Joseph lacks hotel space for major events.
Carter says some St. Joseph residential neighborhoods aren’t designed for the increase traffic short-term rentals generate, leading residents to complain.
“A lot of parking has been taken up around their home or there have been parties in houses in purely typical residential neighborhoods, parties that wouldn’t ordinarily happen in a house,” Carter says. “They brought the concerns up. They brought it up and we didn’t have good ways of regulating these things and that triggered the conversation about what is right.”
Carter says any feedback received will be used in altering the proposal to be passed along to the St. Joseph City Council for its consideration.