From left Lakewood Village Mayor Randy Holcomb, Trustee Richard Fischer, and Trustee Ellen Barnes look over documents Monday at the village board meeting. PJ photo by Michael Zabrodsky
LAKEWOOD — The Lakewood Village Board of Trustees approved Monday extending the short-term rental moratorium period for 180 days.
Trustee Ben Troche was absent from the meeting.
In January the board heard a presentation from Bergmann Architects, Engineers, and Planners branch in Rochester regarding the creation of a short-term rental law. Currently, Bergmann is still writing a draft of the law.
Trustee Ellen Barnes said the draft is very close to being presented to the village’s short-term rental committee. She said there would be a meeting held to finalize the draft, so the law could go before the public for review. The next step in the process, Barnes said, would be a revised draft based on the committee’s feedback, and then the committee would hold a community workshop tentatively by the end of May or beginning of June, so that seasonal summer residents can attend.
“It’s very important that we have as many residents as possible to go to this (meeting). There will be feedback (provided) there,” Barnes noted.
After hearing the feedback, it (the draft) will be reviewed by the committee, and then it will be presented to the board.
“There will be more reviews and village board feedback,” Barnes said.
After the review, she said, the law will be presented for adoption.
“I’m not sure it will take 180 days, but we have 180 days to get this finished. It sounds like it’s coming along quite well now,” Barnes added.
In May 2022, the board adopted a moratorium on short-term rentals in the village. Then, Major Randy Holcomb said a yearlong moratorium gave the village time to review zoning regulations.
The law states “Recent trend of existing residential structures being used by owners for the primary purpose of renting to short-term rental occupants has created the concern that the residential character and economic base of the village is threatened. The Board of Trustees hereby finds that more specific zoning provisions are appropriate to address this increasingly popular land use activity and that short term vacation rentals create conflicts with their residential neighbors, and have the potential to degrade residential neighborhoods by introducing crime, noise, parking congestion and other detrimental impacts while also adversely affecting the traditional neighborhood character that results from a community of owner-occupied properties.”
Some of the recommendations that have been included in the draft are digitizing a zoning map, clarifying definitions, continuing licensing and permitting, aligning bed and breakfast establishments by ensuring regulations work, implementing max occupancy in zoning laws, and expanding regulations to be sensitive of neighborhood context (proximity, density, and outdoor activities).
Holcomb said previously that the village is not trying to put an end to short-term rentals, but the moratorium gives trustees time to look at regulations that do not address rental properties. The moratorium limits any new short-term rental occupancy within three village zoning districts: single-family residential, multiple-family and mobile residential. It also prevents property owners from being able to apply for a permit to turn their homes into short-term rentals.
Properties already used as short-term rentals in the village will not be affected by the local law.
In other business, the board authorized the Lakewood YWCA to use the village streets for a 5K run/walk as a fundraiser on May 6 at 9 am