Staff recommends approval of the resolution.

The City first adopted short-term rental regulations in 2018.  These regulations were amended in late 2019 to address additional issues seen at that time.  Staff has seen a trend of increased interest in short-term rental uses and has concerns that these uses, if left unchecked, could have the potential to impact housing availability, create land use conflicts, and alter the character of residential neighborhoods.  A temporary moratorium on the acceptance and processing of short-term rental applications would allow staff time to research and develop an amendment to the UDO. 

In 2018, the City of Independence proposed regulations for Short Term Rentals (STRs), which were approved by City Council.  These regulations were developed by working closely with the Independence Hotel and Lodging Alliance, researching other municipalities around the country for best practices and consultation with staff from various City departments.

The STR regulations:

·         created a separate and unique definition for short term rentals that is different from the existing bed and breakfast definition

·         limited the number of guests and guest rooms in a short-term rental

·         limited the number of days a short-term rental can rented

·         required a safety inspection of the short-term rental

·         required a minimum parking requirement for a short-term rental

·         required trash collection for short term rentals

·         required the management of short-term rentals

·         created a public hearing application process for the review by the Planning Commission of short-term rentals

·         outlined the enforcement and penalties on short term rentals that do not follow the rules

·         required business license numbers to be posted on short term rental websites

In late 2019, staff again researched best practices from around the country.  This research led to additional changes to the STR regulations in the UDO, which included:

·         Limit the number of Short-Term Rentals a single owner can operate to no more than five (5).

·         Limit the density of Short-Term Rentals to no more than one (1) per eight (8) structures on a block face.

·         Require all Short-Term Rentals to obtain a Rental Ready inspection prior to their annual business license renewal, beginning July 1, 2020.

Staff has seen a trend of increased interest in short-term rental uses and has concerns that these uses could have the potential to impact housing availability, create land use conflicts, and alter the character of residential neighborhoods. 

The research, drafting and approval of an appropriate short-term rental UDO amendment may take several months to accomplish.  A temporary moratorium on the acceptance and processing of short-term rental applications would allow for the adoption of the amended short-term rental regulations.