Midway is tightening up where nightly rentals are allowed to operate within city limits.  Short-term rentals of less than 30 days and nightly rentals are currently allowed within what’s called the transient rental overlay zone, or TROD. On Aug. 11, the Midway Planning Commission recommended r emoving certain neighborhoods from the zone.  Areas for removal include Turnberry, Turnberry Woods, Midway Village, some lots in the Mountain Spa Rural Preservation subdivision, 100 South between 50 West and 100 West, Rising Ranch subdivision and a small area east of Fox Den Road and South of Main Street.  No new short-term rentals will be allowed in these areas if the City Council is aligned with the Planning Commission’s recommendation. Three licensed short-term rental operations currently allowed in these areas will be grandfathered-in to the new regulation, however. There are three additional pending applications for nightly rentals.  There are some benefits to nightly rentals, Henke said, including revenue for property owners and the generation of transient room tax. It also allows Midway City to qualify for resort tax.  The drawbacks, however, are clear, according to Henke. They create commercial competition for local resorts and introduce “neighborhood disruptions.” “All of a sudden you’ve got different people on a regular basis in the homes, and sometimes the people don’t follow the rules that are laid out for them,” Henke said.  He added that nightly rentals can reduce long-term housing supply for permanent residents.  “The more nightly rentals we have, the less potential long-term or permanent housing stock we have for people who want to live in the community,” Henke said. “If you have enough nightly rentals, it really can erode the sense of community in town.” Henke said some residents have been “very vocal” about wanting to keep their neighborhoods free of nightly rentals. That sentiment showed at the Aug. 11 meeting, where public commenters such as Camille Palmer spoke in support of the Planning Commission’s recommendation to remove areas from the nightly rentals zone.  Palmer works for Midway City as a mayoral assistant, communications and public information officer. She lives in the Midway Village neighborhood.  “I am in support of our neighborhood being removed to protect our quality of the neighborhood,” Palmer said.  Palmer said that, because the Midway Village neighborhood homes sit close together and there’s a lack of street parking, she can’t imagine nightly rentals working in the neighborhood.  “I don’t think that it’s conducive to our neighborhood,” Palmer said.  The transient rental overlay zone was established in 2006 and regulates where short-term rentals can legally operate. The city’s decision initially targeted commercial and resort zones and incorporated some residential areas.  Some residential properties were included. Some subdivisions at Swiss Creek, Mountain Springs, Midway Village and Turnberry, for example, were allowed to maintain short-term rentals either because of explicit nightly rentals regulations within the subdivisions or because of documented nightly rental use allowed by the city.  And historic nightly rental properties like the Blue Boar Inn and Johnson Mill were allowed to carry on.  The Planning Commission’s recommendation comes after the City Council’s review of rental overlay zone regulations, boundaries and enforcement strategies in May. Then, the City Council directed staff to formalize a boundary amendment.  In December, Midway “cleaned up language” for nightly rentals rules and regulations. The City Council approved regulations changes such as a requirement for hosts to feature an identification plaque with the property manager’s contact information.  The incoming boundary amendment is in line with Midway’s General Plan, which does not recommend expanding the rental overlay zone.  “Our general plan says not to expand the TROD, and so that’s our guideline regarding this issue,” Henke said.  Next, the City Council will consider the Planning Commission’s recommendation in a future public meeting. The post Midway wants to ban nightly rentals in more neighborhoods appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less