At the Summit Board of County Commissioners’ assembly on Tuesday, Sept. 14, commissioners positioned a moratorium on new short-term rental license functions.Joel Wexler/For the Summit Daily News
Breckenridge isn’t the one native entity that’s limiting short-term rental licenses. Starting at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 17, Summit County’s temporary short-term rental license moratorium takes impact, successfully placing a ban on new licenses in unincorporated areas of the county for the following 90 days.The county started critically contemplating a short-term rental license moratorium throughout a Summit Board of County Commissioners’ work session assembly on Sept. 7. Up till this level, the county has largely dragged its ft in capping or banning short-term rental licenses, primarily as a result of push again from the short-term rental group. But throughout the assembly on Sept. 7, officers famous that a moratorium of some kind might give employees the bandwidth to deal with different methods that might curb the problems the group faces with a lack of inexpensive and attainable workforce housing.Summit County Senior Planner Jessica Potter described the brand new transfer as a “a pause on what we’re already doing.” The memo despatched to employees reiterated that this transfer was “to permit employees time to develop and suggest amended short-term rental laws by means of the code modification course of.”According to Potter’s presentation throughout the commissioners’ common assembly on Tuesday, Sept. 14, the proposal solely applies to unincorporated Summit County, and solely to new licenses. It doesn’t have an effect on conversions or renewals of present licenses.The proposal additionally outlines particular areas exempt from the moratorium, which means the county can nonetheless concern new short-term rental licenses to those areas. These embrace a couple of subdivisions on the base of Peak 8 in Breckenridge – together with the SkiWatch subdivision and the Four O’Clock subdivision – and properties situated at Copper Mountain and at Keystone.Some actual property gross sales at the moment underneath contract are exempt too. If patrons can present they’ve an intent to short-term lease their new properties, they’ll signal an affidavit and fill out a particular type, thus coming into into a particular exemption course of.During the common assembly, Summit County Commissioner Elisabeth Lawrence identified that the county’s planning division is understaffed and famous that the division has obtained near 100 short-term rental functions simply within the final week. She stated that instituting a moratorium permits the planning division the extra bandwidth to conduct a knowledge evaluation that can assist them develop future methods that might assist mitigate the inexpensive housing concern.Despite an overwhelming amount of public remark pushing again in opposition to the transfer, the commissioners authorised the measure.The assembly was held each nearly and in-person, and the general public was allowed to remark by means of both means. At one level, almost 100 attendees had been tuned in through Zoom and near 30 members of the general public visited in individual.
Several group members voiced their opinions on a proposed short-term rental moratorium on the Summit County Commissioners’ assembly on Tuesday, Sept. 14, the place commissioners ended up putting a moratorium on new short-term rental license functions regardless of feedback in opposition to the measure.Joel Wexler/For the Summit Daily News
Most of the commentators voiced their skepticism that the moratorium wouldn’t produce the outcomes that the county desired, and a few, equivalent to Meredith and Jason Adams of Mountain Living Real Estate and Adam Parker, proprietor of property administration agency Summit Luxury, declared that they didn’t suppose the county ought to have the authority to make these sorts of selections.“I’d prefer to level out the apparent,” stated Jason Adams of Mountain Living Real Estate. “Today, I’ve heard a lot of actually good, considerate statements and I believe the overwhelming majority of them are usually not on this moratorium or don’t consider that it’s the proper course of motion. I believe that’s what I wish to level out — that I perceive there’s a drawback right here, however I actually suppose short-term leases are simply the straightforward villain on this image and that this moratorium is admittedly not fixing the issue.”Parker acknowledged that the county and related areas like Vail have inexpensive housing points however stated he believes concentrating on short-term leases isn’t the reply.“We don’t wish to problem the very nature of resort cities, that are guests, as a result of of a culturally widespread concern,” he stated.Some commentators didn’t suppose this measure would achieve success partially as a result of of how some use their models. Owners of short-term rental models normally buy their properties as a result of they’d like to make use of them all year long. If they aren’t capable of lease the properties out, many of them will sit vacant.Other commentators, equivalent to Boulder resident Katie Davis and Karen Frisone, managing dealer and proprietor of Ok.O. Real Estate in Denver, famous that some individuals buy their models and short-term lease them out to assist pay for his or her mortgage and payments.“I’ve some shoppers proper now who’re actively attempting to barter a contract on a property in unincorporated Breckenridge,” Frisone stated. “It’s a multi-million greenback property and the decrease unit is a short-term rental that they might think about using for passive revenue, and possibly long-term, however principally they wish to use it as a household. How you vote in the present day is whether or not or not they resolve to maneuver to this space.”To that, Lawrence stated she doesn’t suppose it’s applicable that the county insert itself into these issues.In each situations, individuals with short-term leases will nonetheless be allowed to function as regular. This moratorium solely impacts new licenses.Other commentators stated they thought the county ought to use different methods to succeed in their targets. Mark Baumann, actual property agent for Slifer, Smith & Frampton, stated he’d prefer to see the county construct new, higher-density developments. Others stated they’d prefer to see the county companion with different surrounding counties, arguing that locals don’t must stay in Summit. Stephen Traweek, gross sales and improvement supervisor for Pinnacle Lodging, stated he’d prefer to see the county provide incentives for homeowners to transform their properties moderately than limiting licenses.Besides this, Peter Reeburgh, CEO of Summit Cove Lodging, stated he was “blown away” that the moratorium was partly as a result of a staffing concern. Reeburgh stated he didn’t suppose the moratorium would do something however “make headlines” and trigger “panic and hysteria.”“I’m simply actually blown away by that remark that that is a staffing concern,” he stated. “This is the core concern that we’ve gotten right down to, lastly, and I believe it’s ridiculous. … Get after your planning division, set a deadline and get these individuals working. They’re paid to do that.”During the dialogue, it was famous that the county’s planning division is at the moment down one employees member and that the county as a entire is down by 100 positions. Lawrence famous that the implementation of the moratorium isn’t just to provide the division extra bandwidth but in addition to proceed inspecting the inexpensive housing concern as a entire. Lawrence additionally reported that many group members have reached out to employees and the commissioners in help of a moratorium.Summit County Commissioner Tamara Pogue reiterated Lawrence’s ideas in saying that the purpose of the moratorium is to assemble extra knowledge that can be utilized to make selections sooner or later.Though some commentators identified that the overwhelming majority of ideas shared throughout the assembly had been in opposition to the moratorium, Lawrence reminded the viewers that there are various who’re in favor of it, and that “most of these of us are working.”Prior to voting and approving the measure, all three commissioners famous that this was a temporary measure. In the meantime, the commissioners inspired extra public remark to be shared on-line.
https://www.summitdaily.com/news/local/despite-an-overwhelming-amount-of-pushback-summit-county-commissioners-approve-a-temporary-short-term-rental-license-moratorium/
