During its meeting on June 5, council gave the final vote of support to a staff recommendation that the town proceed with public consultation on a licensing regime and report back to council by the fall with the results.
The plan, first brought to council in May, is to create a licensing program offering 200 licences annually for short-term rentals. In February, council decided the town would pursue a licence program that requires operators to live in the home or on the property as their principal residence.
Based on the current proposal for a licensing program, all short-term rental owners or operators must apply for an annual licence.
Clerk Sara Almas said part of the detailed public and stakeholder consultation that will occur over the next few months will be to look at classes of fees for different short-term rental types, including a specific one for bed and breakfasts that are registered businesses.
The draft framework for a short-term licensing program in Collingwood is available in a staff report on the town’s website.
Currently, most short-term rentals outside of hotels and motels are prohibited in Collingwood by the town’s zoning bylaw. Bed and breakfast units are allowed for short-term rental only if the owner or proprietor also lives in the same building where the units are being rented.
Despite this rule, according to the staff report, as of Jan. 31 the Town of Collingwood has identified 318 unique short-term rental units advertised through 402 online listings.
Of these short-term rentals, 89 per cent occupied the entire home, 12 per cent occupied part of a home (similar to a traditional B&B), 70 per cent occupied single-family homes and 30 per cent occupied multi-family dwellings.
Details on upcoming public and stakeholder consultations will be posted on the Engage Collingwood site.