Keeping up appearances

The Short Term Rental "debate" (because every terrible thing has to be framed in bothsidesey terms) where we take a series of actions that don't actually accomplish anything but for the sake of appearing to take action.

Cantrell’s proposed change is a scaled-back version of what she offered last year while running for mayor. If it becomes law — which would require another council vote — it would apply to certain non-residential areas in certain parts of the city.

Under the current law, people who own property in most non-residential zoning districts are guaranteed the ability to get commercial short-term rental licenses, which allow them to rent entire homes or apartments every day of the year.

There’s no limit on the number of such licenses in each building, so an apartment building can become, in effect, an Airbnb hotel.

Some large apartment buildings in the city have dozens of commercial, short-term rental licenses. The Lens recently reported on a small Bywater apartment building that’s in the process of being converted to full-time Airbnbs.

Also they still have to draw up an ordinance. Who knows what that will actually say.  After that there will be a "study," naturally.

At the council’s next meeting, Cantrell said, she and Councilman Jason Williams plan to call for a study on the effects of short-term rentals, with an eye toward changing the city’s short-term rental law.

 That ought to buy them some time before anything else has to happen.