Kent County’s Regional Planning Commission unanimously recommends against loosening the county’s rules on short-term rentals.
Short-term rentals, commonly associated with companies like VRBO and AirBNB, are defined in Kent County as any rental lasting fewer than thirty days. As written, the county’s current ordinance says that any short-term rental property smaller than 5 acres must be owner-occupied.
Sarah Kiefer, the county’s planning director, explained the reasoning behind the original ordinance.
“If you're on site, you're likely to be sure any renters are behaving," she said.
Levy Court Commissioners asked the Regional Planning Commission to weigh in on the possibility of removing the owner occupancy requirement. One member of the commission, Denise Kaercher, raised concerns.
“For example, if I lived in a condo or attached home or even single homes that were in a really, you know, every lot a postage stamp, I wouldn't my close neighbors renting out a dwelling continually to different people, different people, different people," she said.
Kaercher also raised the possibility of lawsuits, and suggested that there might be a middle ground to be found between the 5 acre threshold and removing the owner occupancy requirement entirely.
“Although it is fixing some of the problems that we have in Kent County with regards to places that can be utilized for temporary housing, it's also creating new ones," Kaercher said.
Her arguments seemed to resonate with her colleagues, who voted unanimously to recommend against an ordinance changing the law.
But, Kent County Levy Court has the final decision. They’re expected to take the matter up in a future meeting.
