Vacation rental ordinances approved in Parkville

Earlier this month, the Parkville Board of Aldermen amended city ordinances to pave a path forward for the approval of short-term vacation rentals, typically brokered online via sites such as VRBO, Airbnb and others.

Since 2019, the city has held nine hearings regarding vacation rentals and how to address them. Parkville last looked at the issue in early 2020, but opted to wait to gather additional information and communicate with residents. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic further stalled the process.

The matter was brought back up in August, but due to the one-year pandemic lag, the proposed ordinance’s approval was delayed until this month to re-introduce the topic to the community. The new amended ordinances were unanimously approved at the Tuesday, Sept. 8 meeting.

Vacation rental properties have proved to be an issue in many communities, with Weston also spending years trying to decide how to handle the unlicensed, untaxed rentals.

Alderman Brian Whitley noted some criticism about the board ‘fast tracking’ the matter.

“It’s been two years, so they must be using some other definition of fast track,” Whitley said.

Currently, vacation rental properties operate without any form of occupational licensing, so the numbers of active rental properties are unknown.

Alderman Tina Welch said she knew of five operating right now, and had concerns about limiting the number of permits issued in any particular area of the city.

Under the new ordinances, property owners can apply for conditional use permits to seek approval to operate short-term vacation rentals in residential areas. Some areas of the city, such as those communities operating under the supervision of a homeowners association, already prohibit short-term rentals.

The approved amendments include application and permit requirements, on-site regulations and other requirements. The city’s planning and zoning commission and board of aldermen may require conditions for approval of a conditional use permit, such as requiring annual inspections by a certified property inspector or the Southern Platte Fire Protection District (SPFPD), as well as restricting the number of consecutive days a dwelling is rented. Another amendment requires that all short-term rentals in the city charge the five percent tourism tax for guest rooms, paid by transient guests of hotels, motels, bed and breakfast inns and other operations.