City Council Housing Committee meeting (September 9, 2024)
A Jamestown City Councilmember is questioning whether the City should pass laws about short-term rentals.
Council member Brent Sheldon, speaking at the Housing Committee, cited a news article he saw about Governor Kathy Hochul needing to decide to sign a bill that would require Airbnb hosts to register their short-term rental units every two years and allow municipalities to collect sales and occupancy taxes on short-term rentals.
He said he thinks that’s a source of funding the city should be looking at, “I know there are a number of Airbnbs in downtown Jamestown. There’s at least two in my neighborhood. It’s an R-1 neighborhood. I don’t know if we need some regulations on this?”
Director of Development Crystal Surdyk said that likely would be part of the Zoning Code update, “Of course, if we feel there’s a sense of urgency to do something and get something on the books, we can always propose legislation at any time. So, we don’t have to wait for that (Zoning Code) to be updated. There’s the, how urgent is it and does it make sense to do it along the Comp Plan and Zoning Code update?”
Sheldon expressed his concern that, according to the news article, that most short-term rentals only rent out their houses 51 nights per year, which equates to less than two months. He said these are properties that could be rented to a tenant year-round.
The Post-Star reports that State Senator Michelle Hinchey, who sponsored the bill in the Senate, said that the rapidly growing short-term rental industry has exacerbated the housing crisis by reducing available housing, driving up costs and supplanting residents.
She said the registry would give municipalities a clearer picture of how Airbnbs are affecting their communities and would raise much-needed tax revenue.
Airbnb has stated a state registry isn’t necessary and that regulations should be handled at the local level.
The Village of Lakewood recently passed a zoning code update restricting short term rentals from residential neighborhoods that are zoned R-1, R-2, and R-3. The code also creates a special use permit that is good for one year and must be renewed. Short term rental owners must also have a designated 24-hour contact who is responsible for responding to and remedying any issues or complaints. Earlier this year, the town of Ellicott was exploring similar guidelines.
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