Community members challenge short-term rental regulations

City forum considers proposed changes to short-term rental regulations

Lexington, Kentucky (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) — Community members expressed frustration Thursday over short-term rentals and proposed regulations during a forum in Lexington, part of a broader national conversation about the impact platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo have on local communities.

“I think we would lose a lot of business outside of Fayette County if we didn’t have any short-term rentals,” said Mary Quinn Ramer of VisitLEX.

The forum, held in Fayette County, explored a range of issues related to short-term rentals. Topics included the impact of rentals on neighborhoods and communities.

“Neighbors were concerned about the parties that were happening in their neighborhoods, with these short-term rentals. They were concerned about the over-concentration in certain neighborhoods and that neighborhoods were losing their vibe. And that neighbors didn’t feel like it was the same community that they moved into,” said District 1 Council Member James Brown.

And the potential benefits they offer to tourism, especially with events like the upcoming Keeneland Fall Meeting in mind.

“I will tell you there are many weekends when our hotels are fully booked and the short-term rentals that we have in the city allow us to maintain our business in Fayette County,” said Mary Quinn Ramer

City officials also addressed several proposed changes to current short-term rental regulations. The changes under consideration include:

• Reducing the maximum number of people from 12 to 10.
• Change in the criteria used by the committee considering applications for short-term rentals.
• Implement spacing requirements to avoid overcrowding in specific areas.

The proposed changes raised a number of questions and doubts from participants.

“My question was, have they considered the actual cost of implementing all of these new regulations? And it was interesting to hear the councilman openly say that they haven’t really considered the cost. We need to protect our residents, we want people to make money, but are we just creating jobs or are we just creating bills and not covering our costs,” said financial adviser Danielle Gerbracht.

The issue is expected to be discussed more extensively at Urban County Council meetings scheduled for next week.