By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green City Council may be taking a longer look at short-term rental housing in the city. On Monday evening, two City Council members said they have been getting an earful from their constituents about short-term rentals.
In recent years, several owner-occupied homes have been converted into short-term rental housing.
A recent check of vacation rental sites – like Vrbo and Airbnb – showed nearly 100 such properties in Bowling Green, according to council member Kathleen Dennis.
The city has no regulations for such short-term rentals, which can be rented for months by new BGSU faculty members searching for a home to buy, or rented for a few days of festivities while friends visit the town.
Council members Jeff Dennis and Joel O’Dorisio reported that they have heard from their constituents about the uncertainties of short-term rentals next door in their neighborhoods. Dennis and O’Dorisio brought up the issue during a meeting Monday evening of City Council’s Planning, Zoning and Economic Development Committee.
Neighbors are uneasy about homes being converted into short-term rentals.
“They don’t know who’s going to be there week to week,” Dennis said.
O’Dorisio is hearing the same concerns.
“People are unsettled by having short-term rentals in their neighborhood,” he said. “The turnover is rapid and unsettling,” unlike regular rentals where neighbors get to know the renters next door.
While some of the short-term rentals are promoted as perfect for parents visiting their college students, O’Dorisio questioned that scenario.
“I don’t think that’s how it’s playing out,” he said.
Kathleen Dennis said the city’s zoning currently has no regulations for short-term rentals.
“This is a business they are running,” which should be regulated, she said. “With credibility comes a sense of responsibility.”
Dennis also said she favors making the rentals subject to the city’s hotel tax, which is collected on other short-term lodging.
The Planning, Zoning and Economic Development Committee will discuss the issue further at future meetings.
