Citizens speak on Proposed Short Term Rentals Ordinance in Clayton

Eleven concerned citizens asked questions and shared comments for over an hour Tuesday night at the second of three scheduled public hearings on a proposed short term rentals ordinance in R1 zoning districts for the City of Clayton.  Some of the issues raised before the Clayton City Council were regulations, fees, and enforcement. The city is seeking the ordinance as a way to maintain neighborhoods, explains Clayton Mayor Jordan Green. “I think that the public hearing went well.  Really, I think a lot of people are confused about what it is. The main thing that I would like for people to know and understand is that we want to allow people within their rights to do what they want to on their property. The extent of this ordinance is to help clarify what our current zoning ordinance is to make sure that if you already have that or if you want to do that in the future that you can but within reason and with being responsible.  That’s my big thing, you should be able to do what you want to but you need to be responsible about it and that is hopefully where this will go. If it doesn’t go anywhere, if we no vote this ordinance then we will have to do something to clearly define how we are going to treat short term rentals because currently, it is such a grey area that if we don’t pass this, we’re going to have to pass something else.” Currently, the only permitted businesses inside R1 zoning districts in the City of Clayton are home occupations, like accounting.  Clayton City Attorney Mitch Baker tells more about the proposed ordinance. “I think there was a good general discussion about what the ordinance would provide for and what the benefits or drawbacks of potentially adopting the ordinance would be. I think and I hope that those in attendance came to the understanding that the ordinance at its core is to allow for but to regulate short term rentals, most frequently identified with VRBO or Airbnb to be in existence within the City of Clayton and that if the city decides not to adopt that ordinance that there might need to be some further reworking of the zoning ordinance to clearly define what can and cannot take place within the various zoning districts within the city.”  The third and final public hearing on short term rentals in R1 zoning districts in the city limits of Clayton is scheduled for Nov. 12, 2019, at 3pm in the courtroom of Clayton City Hall.