A motion in Maplewood City Council to amend the zoning code to allow short term rentals — Airbnb — failed by one vote at the Aug. 11 meeting. It’s back on the agenda for the Sept. 8 meeting.
The city shut down several residents’ Airbnb operations in March when the city found about them. For now they’re not allowed in Maplewood.
At the Aug. 11 meeting council members David Cerven, Tim Dunn and Shawn Faulkingham voted for for the bill to amend the zoning ordinance to allow Airbnb. Mayor Jim White and council members Karen White and Fred Wolf voted against the bill. Councilman Barry Greenberg was absent.
At the Sept. 8 meeting, the council will first vote to renew the bill (Bill 5987). If this passes, the bill will be voted on later in the meeting.
City Manager Marty Corcoran wrote a memo to the mayor and council members on the defeat of the Airbnb zoning ordinance. He said he misspoke at the meeting regarding how the bill could be reconsidered. The memo is included with the Sept. 8 meeting agenda.
He said in the meeting that for the bill to be reconsidered a council member on the prevailing side (the no vote in this case) had to make the motion to reconsider the bill, which he said in the memo was technically correct. He said in the memo the “motion to reconsider” can be made only on the same day the vote to be reconsidered was taken. He said a “motion to renew” is the proper way to bring a matter back before the council, which can be made by anyone on the council.
Corcoran also said his statement that a defeated zoning amendment could not be resubmitted for six months was incorrect. He said the correct time period is three months, which doesn’t apply to the city council or plan and zoning commission.
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Jen –
If we don’t create an ordinance to manage Short Term Rentals like AirBnB, then folks will use it anyway and then we have to try and stop it. With an ordinance, we can manage it and make sure that life/safety issues have been taken care of. The Council also amended the ordinance to make the permitting process a Conditional Use. This allows for neighbors within 300 feet to voice any concerns or questions before the permit is granted. There are other reasons why we are creating this ordinance; I just wanted to clarify how the ordinance is currently crafted to allow for input from neighboring homes.
Shawn Faulkingham
Councilmember Ward 3
City of Maplewood, MO
Shawn, I’m with 300 feet of it so it will be good to have a say. Do you live next to one? And the people will do it anyways excuse is a joke. Should we make dugs legal too since it will happen?
Isa your argument is absurd. Drugs are illegal and renting rooms is not. People are saying that there is a potential to bring crime in, but by that logic every bar and restaurant should be illegal as there is potential to drink and then drive. Same goes with family barbeques. Not to mention the traffic family members bring to a neighborhood. Have you even read the ordinance?
Isa –
I do not live next to an place that has a short term rental available as it is currently illegal in the City of Maplewood. The fact that people rent out their rooms regardless of the ordinances is an issue; you wouldn’t want to live in a home without proper inspections? Making sure that life/safety issues are resolved? Same issue we are trying to deal with in this ordinance. And yes, there was a call from someone who had a bad experience with an AirBnB rental in Maplewood; hence the reason we shut them down. Now, we will be able to enforce our new short term rental ordinance as a conditional use permit which means it will require Planning and Zoning approval/non-approval (Council has the final vote) and public hearings.
I’m not sure where the drug reference comes from as illegal drugs are dealt with at the county, state and federal level. I am assuming from the drug reference you mean that we should not worry about creating an ordinance to deal with short term rentals, but just allow them to whomever wants to do it, which could create a real mess as we would have no real legal way to deal with it but shut it down when people complain (what’s not to stop them from renting again? and Maplewood looks bad to a visitor…). Nor would we monitor the 100+ websites, newspapers, magazines etc. to make sure no one is selling any short term rentals in Maplewood. The time and effort required to do this is not worth the taxpayers money. We want to make sure that if people decide to have short term rental in Maplewood they abide by the same safety ordinances that a long term rental would be subject to. And, unlike long term rentals, short term rental permit process will call for public comments and hearings before they are approved by the Council. Permit’s can also be revoked.
I believe the City will be putting information about this on our Maplewood’s website so that if a traveler is interested in staying in Maplewood at a short term rental, that they should only rent from those who have been permitted to.
You don’t have to like the ordinance; what we are approving is a compromise between both sides. It will insure that life/safety/neighbor issues for renters/rentals are heard and resolved before the permit is approved by the Council.
Shawn Faulkingham
Councilmember Ward 3
City of Maplewood, MO
I hope this does not pass. I found out my neighbor was renting rooms with airbnb by the amount of random people around our house. The girls who were sitting on the step across the street smoking and being rather loude. I’m sure there are cute couples that would be ideal to rent but let’s face it not everyone who rents a room will be like that. I stepped outside to go to work and a woman staying with her dog was outside. The dog was not on a leash and the dog looked like it was getting ready to attack when it saw me. The owner who was staying at the airbnb was yelling at the dog to come. It was scary. I feel like this is not good for neighborhoods. I feel like as a neighborhood this is going to create danger about who looks suspicious and doesn’t belong. I didn’t sign up to live next to a hotel. These people staying are on a trip. Most don’t have respect that others are not. If this passing I will be looking to move.
The Airbnb by us doesn’t look inviting. It is just across the street from one of our outstanding parks, Hummert Park. A view from the window is of the playground. It is still on the Airbnb website. Parking is always a problem in the park area. I really do not like this in our neighborhood.
Susan, this ordinance would specifically prohibit Airbnb’s who can’t provide off street parking for their renters. It would have no impact on your ability to park around Ryan Hummert.
But when the neighbors stop using their driveway and let the guests use it parking is an issues. There is an issue for parking. I competed agree with Susan
I have every right to park my vehicle on the street as any other home owner on my block. I don’t come to your house when you or your friends or guests park in the street to tell you to use your driveway.
These aren’t friends it’s for a business.
Someone renting a room for more than 30 days (long-term renter), under current laws is allowed to park their car wherever any other resident is allowed to. How is one person parking their car on the street for 30 days any different than 10 different people parking their cars on the street for 3 days each? Both are money making enterprises. How does one affect the parking situation of residents any differently than another?
As a mother I hope this doesn’t pass. Being in a neighborhood that has it at the moment, I’ve had several bad experiences. I don’t feel safe. I hope it doesn’t pass
My wife an I used AIRBNB out in California this past summer and found it to be a great experience. They do a good job of screening their renters. If there are any concerns, there could be a requirement that all renters in Maplewood are “verified” meaning that they have to provide AIRBNB a
Drivers license and other information to verify who they are prior to reservation acceptance. There can also be a minimum deposit on rentals. We thought they were great to work with and could boost the economy with local retail, restaurant and tax revenue.
Awesome! I hope it passes this time.