Short-term rental debate: Erie City Council to host public hearing on proposed zoning changes
The city of Erie could be moving closer to defining where short-term rentals are permitted within city limits, a situation that has spawned lawsuits and often fierce public debate over the past several years.
Erie City Council, during its regular meeting on Wednesday morning, will host a public hearing on proposed amendments to the city’s zoning rules that would put new restrictions and regulations on home and apartment rentals leased for 30 or fewer consecutive days.
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.
City Council would have to approve any changes to the city’s zoning ordinances before the new rules could go into effect.
Council is not expected to take action Wednesday morning during the meeting in the Bagnoni Council Chambers at City Hall. The panel will hear the proposed amendments and listen to input from citizens who support or oppose the proposed changes before voting on amendments to the city’s zoning ordinance.
'We've got to do something:'Erie wrestles with managing Airbnb, other short-term rentals
A preliminary vote could happen as soon as City Council’s March 15 meeting. Ordinances or ordinance changes must be approved via two separate votes before they can take effect.
The Erie Planning Commission in 2021 approved changes to the city’s zoning rules that specifically address short-term rentals, and several previous public hearings have been hosted by City Council on the issue.
However, City Council has yet to approve the changes, which allow such rentals throughout the city with some regulations.
City Council President Chuck Nelson said he has spent several hours talking with residents who either support or oppose short-term rentals in Erie neighborhoods.
“I believe we now have an ordinance that will not have the public outcry and should pass with confidence,” Nelson said.
Erie, and many cities nationwide, have been wrestling with how to effectively regulate and manage short-term rental properties as the internet-fueled market for them has grown exponentially.
Finding a balance:Some municipalities are regulating or considering rules for short-term rentals. Here's what we know
Supporters of short-term rentals say they provide affordable options for visitors and an alternative to hotels, and they can stimulate local economies. Opponents have voiced concerns about unruly guests potentially bringing crime, noise and other disruption to their neighborhoods.
City Council meets Wednesday at 9 a.m. in the Bagnoni Council Chambers at City Hall, 626 State St.; the public hearing is expected to start about 9:45 a.m. The meeting can be viewed on the city’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
More: What Erie-area homeowners need to know about getting into the Airbnb business
Proposed zoning changes
According to City Solicitor Ed Betza, the changes would include:
Require property owners to obtain a rental license from the city for short-term rentals.
Prohibit a short-term rental from exceeding the occupancy allowed within the applicable city zoning district.
Ban recreational vehicles, campers and tents from overnight occupancy.
Prohibit short-term rental occupancy from disturbing the peace and quiet of a neighborhood/engaging in disorderly conduct.
The changes would allow short-term rentals in medium- and high-density residential districts, residential limited business districts; local-, general- and central-commercial districts, and traditional neighborhood districts. A short-term rental would be a conditional use in waterfront commercial and waterfront residential districts.
Further, the city’s zoning rules would be amended to add short-term rentals as special exceptions in low-density residential and traditional single-family residential districts.
The short-term rental restrictions for those zones would also address issues including parking and outdoor lighting and when outdoor speakers and sound systems could be used. Property owners would be required to keep a log of guests and their rental dates that city officials could inspect upon request.
In 2017, Erie’s Zoning Hearing Board decided that a property owner has the right to lease a property short term because the city zoning code doesn't prohibit it.
But the board reversed that decision in 2019 after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled — in the Slice of Life v. Hamilton Township Zoning Hearing Board case in Monroe County — that short-term rentals are not allowed unless specifically permitted by a municipality.
“What the amendments are trying to do is specify where these short-term rentals are permitted in the city and place regulations on their operation,” Betza said.
Erie Mayor Joe Schember said he supports the zoning amendments.
“We don’t want them to be able to operate just anywhere in the city without any rules,” Schember said, “We need to have some restrictions in place in the appropriate areas.”
Contact Kevin Flowers at kflowers@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ETNflowers.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie City Council to address short-term rentals at public meeting
