Erie City Council weighs short-term rentals, liquor license transfer after public hearings

Erie City Council could sign off later in March on defining where short-term rentals are permitted within city limits and on a liquor license transfer for Tops Friendly Markets on East 38th that would let the supermarket sell beer and wine.

Council hosted public hearings on both issues during its regular meeting Wednesday morning, giving residents a chance to weigh in on the proposed zoning changes and the license transfer.

Short-term rental debate:Erie City Council to host public hearing on proposed zoning changes

License transfer request:Tops Markets looks to add beer and wine sales to East 38th Street store in Erie

Council took no action on either the zoning rules changes or the transfer request, but the panel could vote on both issues as soon as the panel's next meeting on March 15.

Short-term rental debate

The proposed amendments to the city’s zoning rules would put new restrictions and regulations on home and apartment rentals leased for 30 or fewer consecutive days in certain neighborhoods. City officials acknowledge that some Erie residents make short-term rentals available online on Airbnb, Vrbo and other sites even though the city’s zoning rules do not explicitly allow that.

The changes include requiring property owners to obtain a rental license from the city for short-term rentals; prohibiting short-term rentals from exceeding the occupancy allowed within the applicable city zoning district; banning recreational vehicles, campers and tents from overnight occupancy, and prohibiting short-term rental occupancy from disturbing the peace and quiet of a neighborhood/engaging in disorderly conduct.

'We've got to do something:' Erie wrestles with managing Airbnb, other short-term rentals

West Erie resident Theodore Ely II, who opposes short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods, told City Council on Wednesday that he believes "short-term rentals are a problem" in single-family areas for many reasons, including noise and crime.

Ely, who lives in Erie's Glenwood neighborhood, said he would prefer the city only allow them in neighborhoods zoned for multiple uses.

Kathie Whipple has a different view.

Whipple and her sisters, Susan Morse and Lucinda Maurer, have operated a short-term rental property at 4706 Upland Drive in Glenwood that has hosted more than 800 people since 2016 via Airbnb, an online lodging marketplace for short-term property and vacation rentals.

The property has been at the center of the city's debate over short-term rentals via Zoning Hearing Board rulings and county court decisions. Board members of the Glenwood Association, which oversees more than 250 residences in the neighborhood, argued that Airbnb rentals are not permitted in Glenwood because Erie’s zoning ordinance does not specifically identify short-term rentals as a permitted use there.

Whipple said short-term rentals give visitors to Erie an opportunity to enjoy an affordable alternative to hotels in "a quiet home."

Whipple added: "We saw no increase in traffic, no vandalism, no drug busts, no loud parties, no shootings. The police have never been called for any reason. And most importantly, the property value did not decline."

Maurer, who also spoke Wednesday, pointed out that some of the Glenwood neighbors who oppose short-term rentals in Erie have admitted that they've used such rentals while visiting other parts of the country.

"It is important to pass this ordinance so people can use their properties as they see fit," Maurer told council.

Tops' liquor license request

Regarding the liquor license transfer, Mark Kozar, an attorney representing Tops, told City Council that the supermarket wants to buy the liquor license that had been placed in safekeeping by Fun Eats and Drinks LLC, which did business as Fox & Hound English Pub in the Millcreek Plaza.

The license transfer would allow Tops' customers to buy three liters of wine per transaction, or the equivalent of four normal bottles of wine, as well as 192 ounces of beer, the equivalent of 12 16-ounce bottles.

Kozar said alcohol would be sold at the store between 7 a.m. and midnight Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to midnight on Sundays.

No one spoke in opposition to the liquor license transfer on Wednesday. Tops already sells beer and wine at stores in Meadville, Warren, Bradford and at 712 W 38th St. in Erie.

Contact Kevin Flowers at kflowers@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ETNflowers.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Short-term rentals, liquor license transfer considered by Erie City Council