Maplewood planning and zoning voted to recommend to the city council not to give resident Claire Martin a permit to run an Airbnb over parking issues. She has said she plans to ask an attorney to represent her in front of the city.
Other area municipalities have voted to keep short term vacation rentals out, while others don’t regulate them.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
- Chesterfield voted to prohibit the short term vacation rentals (STVR) of single-family homes in June. Violations could result in fines from $5 to $1,000 or up to three months in jail.
- Hazelwood passed an ordinance in May prohibiting STVRs, saying it’s not in keeping to “the stability, shared commitment and sense of community that give Hazelwood its exceptional quality…”
- Frontenac and Ladue are considering plans to restrict or forbid home sharing.
- Neither St. Louis or Ballwin have an ordinance specifically regulating Airbnb.
Read the full post in St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
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I hope STVR are not the future for Richmond Heights. I do not want to live next door to a revolving door of people. If I wanted that, I’d live next to a hotel.
Totally agree! I’m living proof that and airbnb is a GOOD thing for Maplewood! I have hosted people from different cities and countries and even from right here in St. Louis. My current guests are in between houses in dogtown and would prefer a “home-like” atmosphere for their family, rather than a motel. And my airbnb is closer to their new house than any motel in the area…Win! Win!
Maplewood businesses have benefitted from my guests and NOT ONE of my neighbors has been inconvenienced.
I think it is very important to keep an open mind and do the research about how airbnb operates and checks out the people who subscribe to their service. Who knows, you might make a new friend or do some networking OR, get an 8th-row center seat to the Lion King while hosting one of the cast!!… Change and new things can be a GOOD thing 🙂
Short term vacation rentals (STVR), whatever the format, are the future, just like Uber and Lyft are to traditional cabs. These municipalities can either see this and find a way to get on board, while still finding ways to appease residents’ concerns (e.g. safety, parking, etc.) and recoup taxes otherwise obtained through hotels, or they can see (what may be a slow) decline in business (and revenue) due to lost vacation traffic. Maplewood is a vibrant suburb with all the convenience of being in STL City. Combine this with the charm of the downtown business district, anything the City can do to attract vacationers should be made a priority, especially given the lack of hotels in Maplewood. Just my $0.02 as a prior Maplewood resident.