Varick Planning Board March 24, 2022

Varick Planning board minutes

March 24, 2022

Present: Linda Mastellar (chair), Cindy Lont, Lauren Burling (by Zoom), April Freier (by Zoom), Frankie Long, Thomas Björkman (Secty) One vacancy. 

Guests: Jason McCormick and Mark Lin; Scott Siganowich of First Light; James Foggo, Jim Hetland, Tom Byrne, Liam Byrne, Eric Riegel, Bob Hayssen

Called to Order 7:06pm

Minutes for February

Two corrections made. 

Approval moved by Lont, second by Long. Approved 5-0 

 

Public comment

Jim Foggo. Comment on Backlund and Lin project. Third generation living next to that property. Have strong reservations about the proposed project. 

Quoted the intent of Ag and Rural Residential District. Notably keep agriculture and low-density agricultural in contrast to suburban-style higher-density development. Asks to have the approvals sought. E.g. are they doing cluster subdivision or something else. Thirty residences could become immediate short-term rentals. How will the proposal evaluated against expectations.  

 

Jim Hetland. Fayette had a lot of trouble with STR. Not better for residents. 

 

 

Lin project

 

McCormack and Lin presented the latest plan for discussion with the board. The plan is for a condominium of 15 duplexes on 42 acres. Development takes up about 22 acres. This version has small alterations to waterlines and road. This action would not be a property subdivision under the Subdivision Code; it would be evaluated as a “cluster subdivision” under the Varick Zoning Code. 

 

The amount of traffic was estimated by the New York Department of Transportation at 120 trips per day for 30 residences. Driveway safety was discussed in relation to traffic on Rt. 89. 

 

Maintenance of common areas is proposed to be done by the HOA. Mr. Hayssen noted that the houses are outside the water district, so access to town water would have to be approved by the Town Board based on the supply requirement. 

 

Each unit would for ~$350k. Intent is to build in one phase.

 

A member of the public noted that Smith farm next door has sheep that generate typical farm noise and odor, which could potentially be a conflict.

First Light project.

A company is intending to place an antenna array in the former FLTG property. Scott Siganowich provided a draft bond for $145,000. The company installing made the estimate for decommissioning. We will have the town attorney check for satisfaction. (8-12 satellites in a row)

All the conditions appear to be met, so we anticipate acting on the permit at the next meeting. 

 Olver project.

The former Varick Winery property on Rt. 89. Presented a preliminary plat for a major subdivision to eight parcels. Four lake parcels 3x185, 1x 165, each 1.4. Other parcels are manor, winery and two farmland. The farmland would likely be joined to neighboring farm parcels. 

 

Resolution

 

The Varick Planning Board accepts a Preliminary Plat for a Major subdivision of parcel 09-1-28.12 into 8 lots. The applicant provided an application, preliminary plat and fee. The applicant will supply the Agricultural Data Statement within a week. 

 

Moved by Björkman, Second by Long. Approved 5-0-1.

 

            A public hearing will be held next month. 

Perella project.

The board discussed a preliminary sketch for an additional move on the recently-approved parcels, to add an additional acre from parcel 10-23-26.1 to parcel 10-23-25.2. 

 

The board agreed to consider the proposal once the previously required merger of lots 10-23-25.3, 10-23-25.122,10-23-24 is filed with the county.

Andrus-Seymour subdivision.

 

Resolution

The board accepted an application for a minor subdivision of parcel 14-1-22 of 74 acres, taking out 33 acres that will have 775 feet of frontage on Rt. 414. The use is all agricultural. The applicant provided an application, preliminary plat and fee. The applicant will supply the Agricultural Data Statement within a week. 

 

Moved by Björkman, Second by Burling. Approved 5-0-1.

 

A public hearing will be held next month.

 

Short Term Rentals.

 

County planning board reviewed the proposed short-term-rental rules for our Zoning Code. Voted 7-4-1 on recommending the rules on STR with the caveat that a definition of short-term-rental in code be added. The vote was not enough to approve, because it requires a majority of the 15 members. Their concerns were that some language was too vague for enforcement, and cap on ownership.

We will find out the specific the implications of the vote for the next steps. 

The STR subcommittee will develop more precise words for the ones the County Planning Board found vague so these can be presented to the Town Board at the public hearing on April 5.

 

Adjournment

 

Moved by Burling, Second by Björkman. Approved 5-0.

 

Adjourned 9:25 pm 

 

Varick Planning Board February 24, 2022

 Varick Planning board minutes

February 24, 2022

Present: Linda Mastellar (chair), April Freier, Cindy Lont, Lauren Burling, Frankie Long, Thomas Björkman (Secty) One vacancy. 

Guests: Jason McCormick and Mark Lin; Scott Siganowich of First Light; Jim Foggo.

Call to order 7:02 pm

 

Introduced new practice of general public comment of three minutes in order to work more efficiently.

 

No general comments at the beginning of the meeting.

Minutes for January

Approval moved by Freier, Second by Lont. Approved 6-0.

Martin Subdivision

Open public hearing for Jason Martin subdivision. 7:08

Foggo commented that every subdivision of agricultural land reduces the value of the land for agriculture.

Close public hearing.7:12 

Moved by Björkman, second by Lont. Approved 6-0

Resolution of final approval

The Varick Planning Board issues final approval of the subdivision of parcel 15-1-46 into three parts. A house lot of 1.18 ac will have 176 ft of frontage on Rt. 89. A residential lot will be 16.6 acres with frontage on Rt. 89 and Town Line Rd. The farm field parcel will be approximately 85 acres with frontage on S Town Line Rd.

The applicant supplied an Agricultural Data Statement. The board finds that there will be no impact on adjoining agricultural uses because the land use will remain agriculture. 

The board received the Short Environmental Assessment Form and declares itself the lead agency for State Environmental Quality Review. Upon review of the EAF, the board found no impact because the action will lead to no change in land use, nor creates a condition that would encourage one. The board makes a negative declaration of environmental impact.

The application was reviewed by the county planning board which recommended approval. 

 

Moved by Freier Second by Long. Approved 6-0

 

Chair Mastellar will stamp and sign the maps once the applicant brings them to her. 

 

Lin project

 

McCormack and Lin presented the latest plan for discussion with the board. The plan is now a condominium of 15 duplexes on 43 acres. They feel that this configuration will be a better fit with providing lake view and projected sales. The development would have municipal water but individual septic systems. McCormack is using an advanced septic design that has had good success with recent lake-adjacent clients and regulators.

The property would have Community areas at top (woods) and bottom (lake).

The overall property would use infiltration basins to manage newly generated stormwater and thereby minimize flooding risk for the duplexes and for the highway and lakeshore.

 

A driveway design at Rt 89 has been approved by NYS DOT.

Common land will be managed by a homeowners association. 

Road built to town-road standard, allowing two-way traffic and fire truck access. 

 

Board members were able to ask questions and get clarifications. T

 

The development is unique, and once submitted will be subject to site plan review and a special use permit. That process provides more flexibility in what can be developed.

First Light project.

A company is intending to place an antenna array in the former FLTG property. Scott Siganowich asked for clarification on how to determine how large the bond is needed in case of abandonment. 

 

The applicant requested that the Planning Board provide the amount of the required bond. 

 

Siganowich noted First Light’s estimated cost, but does not have the client’s cost of disposing of the antennas themselves. The planning board will obtain guidance from the Town Attorney, and will seek other guidance as well. The cost of obtaining such information will be borne by the applicant. 

 

Short Term Rentals.

Zoning Officer Dorn reported that he has had numerous inquiries from out of towners regarding short-term rentals.

The board discussed the subcommittees recommendation for an interim code change that would make short-term rental a Special Use in all Zoning Districts except SBI and WITE, where it would not be permitted. Currently, the high demand is in the Lakeshore Residential District, but there is interest in the Agriculture and Rural Residential District as well. 

 

One concern is how to limit the number of short-term rentals effectively so that they do not have a negative impact on the principal quality-of-life conditions current residents value. One option is to issue permits in an expedited way to people who have been paying the occupancy tax to date. 

 

·      Sufficient parking for the number of guests on the rental property must be available on site. Parking by renters and guests on the street, private roads, neighboring driveways and yards is strictly prohibited. 

·      Certification of a working septic system, if applicable, shall be provided by the applicant. 

·      Seneca County safety requirements must be met. 

·      Short-term rental owners must provide their neighbors, in writing, with contact information so that the owner or manager can be notified of, and remedy, problems with the property or renters. Property owners are responsible for renter compliance. 

·      Any use that is obnoxious or offensive or creates a nuisance to the occupants and visitors of adjacent buildings or premises by reason of noise, odor, or smoke is prohibited. 

·      Noise at the property line needs to comply with the Noise Ordinance. 

·      Pet owners must comply with the Dog Ordinance, as well as the following: 

Dogs must not leave the property of the STR; they should be leashed if being walked in the community. 

Domestic pets, including dogs, should not be left alone for extended periods of time, especially if they bark or are destructive. 

Dogs that bark more than a minimum amount are not a good fit to leave in a short-term rental. 

·      There shall be no open fires between 11 pm and 7 am. All fires must be attended, and should not be smoky or smoldering. 

·      Renters may not use the property for any commercial uses, monetary gain, or any large event. 

·      These renter expectations must be posted in each short-term rental property. 

·      A property owner may not have more than two short-term rental permits, directly or indirectly. 

 

Resolution:

The Planning board asks Chair Mastellar to attend the next Town Board meeting and present the subcommittees proposal as a recommended interim code change.

 

Moved by Björkman, Second by Burling. Approved 6-0

Adjournment

Moved by Björkman, Second by Burling. Approved 6-0

Adjourned at 9:07 pm

Varick Planning Board January 27, 2022

Varick Planning board minutes

January 27, 2022

 

Present: Linda Mastellar (chair), April Freier, Cindy Lont, Lauren Burling, Frankie Long, Thomas Björkman (Secty).  One vacancy. 

Guests: Jason McCormick and Mark Lin; Scott Siganowich of First Light; Jim Foggo.

 

Minutes for December

Moved by Freier, Second by Burling. Approved 6-0.

 

Lin project

 

Mr. Lin and Mr. McCormick were at the Planning Board in November with a proposal. Neither they nor the Planning Board have received a response from Celia Flynn at County Planning who was going to offer the department’s thoughts on site plan review. No further discussion. 

 

First Light project. A company is considering placing an antenna array in the former Scott Siganowich of First Light presented information about a planned antenna array on their campus in the Small Business Park and Institutional District. We determined that it meets the definition of Telecommunications Tower, and will require a Special Use Permit and site plan review. The anticipated height and setbacks are well within the requirements. This special use would require a bond in case of abandonment. The company will submit an application. 

 

Martin Subdivision. 

 

Resolution

The Varick Planning Board accepted a preliminary plat from Jason Martin to divide parcel 15-1-46 into three parts.  A house lot of 1.18 ac will have 176 ft of frontage on Rt. 89. A residential lot will be 16.6 acres with abundant frontage on Rt. 89 and Town Line Rd. The farm field parcel will be approximately 85 acres with frontage on S Town Line Rd.

The applicant paid the fee and will provide a SEQR EAF and Agricultural Data Statement tomorrow. 

We must notify Romulus because this is within 500 ft of the town line.
We will submit the application to the county planning board, and hold a hearing next month. 

 

Moved by Björkman, Second by Long. Approved 6-0.

 

Short-term Rental Subcommittee.  The subcommittee consists of Cindy Lont, Lauren Burling, Susan Ottenweller and Linda Mastellar. They have done a lot in the last month. 

 

The committee has been looking the codes in Geneva, Fayette, Romulus, Ithaca, Rochester Town (Ulster Co.), Canandaigua. A public hearing was held January 5 that had input from 29 people; they have also received letters and emails. 

Want to establish the vision and the goals. 

The committee is emphasizing clarity about what problems are to be fixed. They are in two general areas. 

Lack of community, such as owner and resident commitment to the future of the Town, but also making housing unaffordable for residents due to conversion of residences to short term rentals. 

Nuisances and pollution resulting from overuse or renter behavior. 

 

The committee will present the vision and goals to Town Board for buy-in and feedback. Then they will develop a framework accordingly. 

 

Next steps for committee are to meet the next two Fridays, then present the proposal to the Planning Board at the February meeting. For the next meetings they will take up density of rentals and neighborhood feel. Also the role of long-term rental, which is currently a permitted use unlike short-term rental. 

 

Resident Jim Foggo expressed his concern about subdivisions that make farmland unviable for farming and short-term-rentals that reduce the commitment to the community. In particular the Lin proposal and adjacent development. 

 

Some other issues that came up:

Is there a fire inspection? That would have to be a requirement of the permit. 

Communication is often in the code, with both communication with renters, neighbors and owners or managers.

Barking dogs left all day in the rental is a noteworthy nuisance that wasn’t identified before. 

 

Board membership. Hershey Sensenig’s term expired at the end of December, so there is now a vacancy.

 

Adjournment moved by Burling, second by Lont. Passed 6-0.

Adjourned at 8:47 pm

Varick Planning Board December 16, 2021

 Varick Planning board minutes

December 16, 2021

Present: Linda Mastellar (chair), April Freier, Lauren Burling, Rich Olsen, Frankie Long, Thomas Björkman (Secty). 

Absent Hershey Sensenig. 

Guests: Cindy Lont

 

Minutes for November

Moved, as corrected, by Olsen. Second by Burling. Approved 6-0.

 

Lafferty Subdivision 

 

Opened public hearing at 7:25

No comments

Close M TB, AF. 6-0.

 

Resolution: The Varick Planning Board issues final approval for a plat to Divide parcel 10-3-26 of 4.274 ac at 714 Deal Rd. into two parcels, retaining a corner of 1.8 ac.  The narrowest point is 175 ft. 

 

The applicant supplied an Agricultural data statement. The board finds that there will be no impact on adjoining agricultural uses because the land use will not change and is not currently agriculture. 

The board received the Short Environmental Assessment Form and declares itself the lead agency for State Environmental Quality Review. Upon review of the EAF, the board found no impact because the action will lead to no change in land use, nor creates a condition that would encourage one. The board makes a negative declaration of environmental impact.

This application was reviewed by the county planning board, which recommended approval. 

Moved by Björkman, Second by Long. Approved 6-0

 

First Light project. A company is considering placing an antenna array in the former Fingerlakes Technologies site in Small Business Park and Institutional District that is likely to be a telecommunications special use. Discussions are ongoing with 

 

 

Trainings. Upcoming trainings cover Solar energy and Site Plan Review. There was one on Short Term Rentals that Olsen participated in last Saturday. 

State Department of State is keen to help with trainings.

 

Short-term Rental Subcommittee.  The subcommittee consists of Cindy Lont, Lauren Burling, Susan Ottenweller and Linda Mastellar. They have met three times since our last meeting. 

They have concentrated on identifying good examples and lessons from other towns in the region. Mark Venuti of the Town of Geneva was particularly informative. The intent is going to be important for guiding present and future specifics. 

 

There will be a public hearing for input on January 5 at 6 pm in the town hall (or perhaps fire hall). Resident input will be accepted through January 15 by mail or email at STR@varicknewyork.com

It will be advertised by town bulletin board, the town website. The Finger Lakes Times, possibly the Shopper. Possibly the phone blast.

 

Resolution: The Varick Planning Board endorses the Town advertising the public hearing in the Finger Lakes Times, the Seneca County Shopper and telephone notification.  Moved by Björkman, Second by Burling. Approved 6-0. 

 

Be clear about what problems are trying to be fixed. Lack of community, nuisances, pollution, making housing unaffordable for residents. 

 

Thank you to Rich Olsen

Whereas Richard Olsen was appointed to the Varick Planning Board in December 2014 and has served for seven years;

Whereas Richard Olsen has made substantial contributions to the Varick Planning Board beyond expectations;

Whereas Richard Olsen has developed record keeping methods for assuring that our decisions are recorded and enforced;

Whereas Richard Olsen has always kept a close eye for unintended consequences;

Whereas Richard Olsen has been a steadfast advocate for the betterment of Varick;

Therefore be it resolved that the Varick Planning Board thanks Richard Olsen heartily for these many contributions. 

 

 

Adjournment moved by Björkman, second by Mastellar. Passed 6-0.

Adjourned at 8:05 pm

 

Town of Varick to hold Public Hearing on Short Term Rental Janury 6, 2022

The Town of Varick Planning Board Subcommittee on Short Term Rentals will hold a public hearing to gather information on how short-term rentals fit within the town of Varick’s future on January 5^th at 6 pm at the Varick Volunteer Fire Department, 4682 Route 96A, Romulus.

A Public Hearing, as defined by New York State, is an official proceeding of a governmental body or official during which the public is accorded the right to be heard on a designated topic.  In this case, the topic is Short Term Rentals (also known as vacation rentals) in the town of Varick. 

 

The Town of Varick includes a few miles of lakeshore on the east side of Seneca Lake and the west side of Cayuga Lake, a section of the former Seneca Army Depot, and agricultural areas between the lakes.   See Official Zoning map of Varick at: http://varicknewyork.com/PlanningBoard/Codes/VarickZoningMap.pdf 

 

For those interested in providing their views about short term rentals in the Town of Varick but unable to attend in person (and masked as required by New York State) on January 5th, please send comments about short term rentals to the Subcommittee via email at:  str@varicknewyork.com or by sending a letter via United States Postal Service to Short Term Rental, c/o Town of Varick, 4782 Route 96, Romulus, NY 14541. 

The planning board's discussions to date can be found in the searchable minutes. 

Varick Planning Board November 18, 2021

 Varick Planning board minutes

November 18, 2021

Present: Linda Mastellar (chair), April Freier, Lauren Burling, Rich Olsen, Frankie Long, Thomas Björkman (Secty). 

Absent Hershey Sensenig. 

Guests: Mark Lin, Jason McCormack, Cindy Lont, Celia Flynn, Harriet Haynes

 

Minutes for October (by Burling). 

Moved Freier. Second Mastellar. Approved 6-0

 

County Planning Department update.

Introduced Celia Flynn. New Planner with Seneca County Planning Department.

Harriet Haines (Senior Planner with Seneca County) discussed the Memorandum of Understanding with the county which is based on NYS General Municipal Law.  

A few things have been changed for the next round

§  Many cases of farms being divided into house and fields. Fewer of these subdivisions need to go to county. 

§  SPR for short-term rental. Local inspections often call for adequate water, sewer and parking. 

§  Need to submit 8 days before their meeting. (Need first Wednesday of month.)

Senior Planner Haynes provided additional information. 

The County Planning Board needs to fill some vacancies. There was no quorum at last County Planning Board meeting due to those vacancies. One at-large seat is vacant (ex. Waterloo). Seats are designated for various roles in community as well as town of residence. 

A reminder regarding notifications. 

After we take final action on a subdivision or special use, notice should go to county planning. 

Notification of our public hearings for actions within 500 ft of the town line should go directly to the Fayette or Romulus clerks in addition to the notices published in the newspaper. 

Resolution:

The Varick Planning Board encourages the Town Board to sign the memorandum of understanding with the County Planning Board.

Moved by Björkman, Second by Long. Passed 6-0

 

There will be a public hearing on Seneca County’s Agriculture Plan in January. 

Most of Varick is an Agricultural District and is affected by this plan and associated regulations. The boundaries of the Agricultural Districts used to cross parcel lines. Now whole tax parcels are in or out of Ag Districts, so some boundaries may have changed from years past. This change is particularly significant with large parcels near the lakes that include substantial non-agricultural uses and the residual land may or may not be in agricultural use. This Planning Board is mainly affected because an Agricultural Data Statement needed for actions within 500 feet of an active agricultural operation.

We should get a copy of the current ag district map from Harriet. 

The county strives to remove “inactive agriculture” from the district (while also encouraging agriculture to thrive.)

 

Lafferty Subdivision 

The Varick Planning Board accepted a preliminary plat to Divide parcel 10-3-26 of 4.274 ac at 714 Deal Rd. into two parcels, retaining a corner of 1.8 ac.  The narrowest point is 175 ft. Applicant provided a SEQR EAF and Ag Data Statement and a detailed survey map. 

Moved by Björkman, Second by Burling. Passed 6-0.

We will schedule a public hearing.  

 

Backlund property project

Prospective buyer Mark Lin and Engineer Jason McCormack discussed an updated plan to get planning board thoughts. 

The current version would have townhouses while keeping the parcel intact. Full build out would have three sets of townhouses with each set comprising four three-dwelling structures (36 dwellings total). The landscape would be improved and managed by the property manager. 

This design would allow for substantial septic facilities. Engineer McCormack designs many septic systems in challenging sites in the county, and thinks this site is highly suitable.

The private road serving the town homes would be built to town-road specifications so that emergency vehicle access is good, maintenance is effective and—while not envisioned—it could become a Town-owned or Town-maintained road at a future date.

Celia Flynn offered to review our code with this project in mind. It would be subject to Site Plan Review at a minimum since it doesn’t fit precisely into an existing category but is also not prohibited. 

The project could be done in phases as buyers are identified, but under a single use permit. 
For something like this, a non-completion bond would likely be a requirement in case of an unexpected suspension of activity.

 

Trainings. Upcoming trainings cover Solar energy and Site Plan Review. There was one on Short Term Rentals that Mastellar participated in last Saturday. 

State Department of State is keen to help with trainings.

 

Short-term Rental Subcommittee.  The subcommittee consists of Cindy Lont, Lauren Burling and Linda Mastellar, and more may be added. They will meet approximately weekly to develop a proposal. 

The meetings will be open, but they will not take public input during those meetings. They may invite resource people to participate. 

The committee can be reached at a custom email address: STR@varicknewyork.com

 

Adjournment moved by Burling, second by Björkman. Passed 6-0.

Adjourned at 9:17 pm

 

Varick Planning board September 23, 2021

 Varick Planning board minutes

September 23, 2021

Present: Linda Mastellar (chair), April Freier, Lauren Burling, Rich Olsen, Frankie Long, Thomas Björkman (Secty). 

Absent Hershey Sensenig. 

Guests: Cindy Lont, Mike Karlsen, James Foggo, Aaron Stevens, Gerry Willower, Eric Backlund

Called to order. 7:04

Minutes for August. Moved to accept Freier, Second Burling (Approved 6-0)

Public hearing on Willower-Colarco subdivision

Opened 7:06

Applicant presented information. No public comments.

Hearing Closed 7:14 Moved by Björkman, Second Olsen. Approved 6-0.

 

Resolution

The Varick planning board issues Final Approval of the Willower-Colarco subdivision. This action moves the lot line lot 01-4-13 4831 East Lake Rd (Colarco) and 01-4-12 (Willower). The move will square up the lot line by moving it 12.2 feet at rear of the lot, and 0 ft at the road, for approximately 250 ft. The resulting lots will be ~168 ft and ~112 ft in the rear. 

The applicant supplied an Agricultural Data Statement. The board finds that there will be no impact on adjoining agricultural uses because the land use will remain agriculture. 

The board received the Short Environmental Assessment Form and declared itself the lead agency for State Environmental Quality Review. Upon review of the EAF, the board found no impact because the action will lead to no change in land use, nor creates a condition that would encourage one. The board makes a negative declaration of environmental impact.

The application was not reviewed by the county planning board because it is exempt. 

Moved by Björkman, second Long. Approved 6-0.

Public hearing on Backlund Trust Subdivision

Opened Public hearing at 7:25

Applicant described the plan. 

Aaron Stevens, buyer, clarified that his current property and the adjacent one that he is buying align at the back. There is not extra agricultural land that would be removed.   

Close Hearing. Moved by Björkman Second Olsen 6-0 Closed at 7:37

No action was taken because the survey map was not completed. We anticipate that the board will consider accepting the preliminary plat at the October meeting. 

 

County memorandum of understanding. The County Planning Department requested comment on the Memorandum of Understanding on actions exempt from review by County Planning Board. They are preparing to review and revise it. Our suggestions are: 

·      For residences consider changing “family” to “household”, as we did in our code. 

·      For lot line moves, consider a slight increase from 20 feet, since that standard only applies when the lots widths and setbacks from buildings are significantly larger than the minimum.

·      For the minor subdivision, using two years with no harvested crop appears to be a short time for determining whether agricultural use has ceased permanently.

 

Short-term rental discussion. Olsen reported on his conversation with Nancy Murray of Fayette. Fayette has issued 22 repeat permits and 3 new ones in 2021. There have been several applicants who started the application process. Some are still pending. Some applicants abandoned the application because they have insufficient septic. 

The impacts on the Town of Fayette include more work for the Town Clerk and Code Enforcement have more uses. Limited labor.  They have also found more permits to prepare homes for rental purposes. 

No short-term rental applications are away from the lakeshore in Fayette. Therefore, this issue is likely to be specific to our Lakeshore Residential District, where preventing further congestion is a primary planning objective.

Resident Foggo commented that the proliferation of short-term rentals completely changes the character of the neighborhood. And is also concerned that more short-term rentals are being rapidly developed, especially by developers and property companies using them as a wholly commercial use. 

Resident Lont emphasized concerns that remain to be addressed and were not acceptably handled on East Lake Road in 2021. Renters did not have an appropriate way to leave trash and recyclables when they left. Renters trespassed, especially on lakeshore and docks, but also in fields and bothered domestic animals. Some rentals had more people than they could appropriately handle, which led to unacceptable noise, trash and parking.

Several questions were identified that we need to address in the next meeting: 

·      Do we let it be known that short-term rentals are not permitted, and that existing uses will not be grandfathered when the law is passed? That is, all short-term rentals that are currently operating will be required to comply with all the restrictions. The inability to contact the manager was particularly frustrating.

·      This board should determine the appropriate line between a vacation-home owner who occasionally rents out their house, and the short-term rental owner who occasionally stay at their rental property. There is a lot of financial pressure on long-time owners to rent to cover the rising property taxes. The former use is generally considered appropriate, where the latter degrades quality of life for permanent residents. 

·      The complaint process for neighbors must make rental managers accountable for the behavior of their tenants, while not making the process a vehicle for inappropriate neighbor animosity. This balance is also important if the permit is contingent on having approval from neighbors as a means of controlling density and congestion. 

·      All permits must be listed with contact information that always works. 

 

Adjourn.  Moved by Burling, second by Freier. Passed 6-0

Adjourned 9:03