City updates transient rental law

HURON — A new law strikes a balance of both catering to tourists while protecting residents' rights and interests. During a recent public meeting, Huron city council updated an existing law in regards to transient rental regulations. Transient rental is a term coined for people, namely tourists or vacationers, staying primarily in homes within any city zoning district, such as those labeled "residential," for no more than 30 days. Modeled after communities with a large or burgeoning transient rental population — such as Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head Island in South Carolina and even neighboring Sandusky — Huron's revised legislation does, however, address some concerns brought up by community members over the past year. "It was a remarkable journey in that we really considered the residents who were both for and against it," city law director Todd Schrader said. "We sat down and retooled the proposed legislation." Schrader stressed how Huron's government serves both residents and tourists. People who visit the city — through tax dollars generated by their spending at local businesses — help support vital public services city residents depend upon, like snow plowing, police, fire, road repairs and park projects. With transient rentals, "that can bring people into the city for a limited period of time," he said. "Even though they necessarily don't invest in the fabric of the community, they are still valuable in that they bring many economic benefits." Schrader closely worked with Huron city manager Matt Lasko on formulating amended legislation. "This is a true compromise for both our community members and transient rental operators," Lasko said. "It both protects the integrity of our residential neighborhoods and the right to peaceful and quiet enjoyment of one's property," Lasko added. "But it also understands that Huron is really at the epicenter of the Lake Erie shores and islands tourism region, and that vacation rentals are becoming very popular in how people travel and lodge. There is an economic benefit not only directly to the city but, more importantly, to our business owners." Looking at the law Here's a snapshot summary of Huron's updated transient rental legislation with context provided by both Lasko and Schrader: The original idea: "In spring of 2020, Huron city council adopted its first transient rental ordinance. The purpose of the ordinance aimed to do two things: • One, acknowledge the benefit that transient rental properties bring a community and to permit their existence • Two, to protect the health, safety and wellness of the public, including transient rental owners, transient rental guests and neighboring property owners of transient rentals The original ordinance laid out the method of registering transient rental units annually and required a life safety inspection of the property and required appropriate ongoing maintenance." The problems: "After going through the first transient rental/summer season in 2020, the city quickly determined the original ordinance needed to be more detailed and address a broader range of issues to further the purpose of the ordinance in the first place." The changes: "The city undertook an extensive revision process in fall of 2020, which recently was completed — at the last council meeting, on March 23 with the passage of the revised ordinance — that included significant public input from operators and transient rental properties and also citizens who both support and do not support transient rental activities. There were several public work sessions to explore possible revisions and a working group of council and staff charged with considering feedback received during the process and exploring ordinances of other communities." The final product: "Through this, council was able to adopt a much more robust ordinance that provides much greater levels of specificity on a range of issues concerning transient rental operation within Huron and that, more precisely, addresses the underlying purpose of the ordinance." Note: Some more notable changes, in no particular order, include the new ordinance requiring: • A cap on the number of registered transient rental units permitted in Huron; Formerly, there was no cap. The cap is now set at 165 units, which is approximately 5% of all dwelling units in the city. As of late March, the city had 104 registered units, so this permits the addition of another 61 units. • New, and not existing, transient rental owners to maintain a parking plan: two off-street parking spaces or one space for each four transient guests permitted, rounded up; Current codes require residential properties to have off-street parking; This makes any property that does not currently have off-street parking provide for such parking. • The owner to have a certain amount of general liability and premises liability insurance • The owner to arrive at and access the property within one hour, if requested • An enhanced version of life-safety inspections at the property Additionally, there's a provision for something labeled "calls for service" to address complaints against a property. This would allow for objectivity to determine if a property is considered a "nuisance." If it is, then the owner could lose the ability to operate his/her property as a transient rental. The end result: "We feel strongly that this revised transient rental ordinance better fulfills the purpose and intent of the original ordinance: It both acknowledges that Huron sits in a growing tourism market in which VRBO/transient lodging is becoming greatly popular and that economic benefits do exist by permitting these uses. The new ordinance even allows for growth in the market in terms of allowing additional units." The compromise: "The new ordinance also provides stronger protections for our residential communities and permanent residents of the city to ensure transient rentals do not detract from their quality of life and all the positives that have resulted in people choosing to live in Huron permanently. This revised ordinance strikes a reasonable balance between commercial activities and the residential character of our neighborhoods with clear expectations of how transient rental units shall operate to be good and responsible neighbors."