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CITY OF ORONO MEMORANDUM <br />DATE: June 26, 2017 <br />TO: Orono City Council <br />FROM: Jeremy Barnhart, AICP Community Development Director <br />RE: Short Term (Vacation) Rentals <br />1. Purpose. Discuss possible changes to City Code to regulate short term rentals. <br />2. Background. The City Council has received input from constituents regarding a concern <br />with short term, or vacation, rentals, often advertised on VRBO.com, AirBnB.com, and <br />Homeway.com. The concerns often involve noise, but can include traffic and parking concerns, <br />strangers in the neighborhood, and loose dogs. The previous Council, responding to similar <br />concerns, studied the issue in 2015 and 2016. On June 16, 2017, staff forwarded several <br />documents outlining the past review of the issue. The documents are redistributed for the record. <br />3. Response. Some municipalities are prohibiting short term rentals, or rentals less than 30 <br />days, with the goal of eliminating disrespectful behavior, noise, and safety concerns. Staff <br />believes a prohibition will have a marginal effect, at best. <br />Layering. Existing ordinances govern many of the concerns. Adding another layer of <br />regulation adds to the complexity of our code without adding substance. Noise, speeding, <br />trash, parking and loose dogs are currently regulated in city code. Adding zoning <br />regulation does not expedite a response, zoning enforcement is rarely more efficient or <br />effective than the police. <br />Effectiveness. The effectiveness of outright prohibition is questionable. The city cannot <br />remove persons from a rented home for a zoning violation; the penalty will be a fine, <br />which ultimately does not address the issue. <br />Enforcement practicality. It would rely on the city fielding complaints from <br />neighborhood, (usually on a Monday after a weekend rental) informing the property <br />owner of the rule, and telling them to stop, perhaps to be repeated the following week. <br />Many vacation rentals are booked months in advance, and simply prohibiting rentals may <br />push these people underground. Code enforcement is already under -resourced, adding a <br />new program will stretch these resources further. <br />Previously, the Council considered a licensing program, which addressed the response and the <br />"soft" concerns, including number of cars, dogs and disruptive pets, condition of the property, <br />etc. While this did not prohibit the rental, it provided an avenue for the city and interested <br />parties to contact a manager to resolve issues. <br />Staff suggests enhancing our public outreach program, perhaps creating a How -To guide for <br />