While Port Colborne has let yet another summer season roll by without regulations in place to deal with short-term rentals, it will soon be in a place to license them.
On Tuesday, city council passed official plan and zoning bylaw amendments which staff deemed were needed in order to put in place the land use regulations that will allow to proceed with licensing.
The amendments define short-term rentals (STRs) and permit them in all residential areas. STRs are allowed within the main dwelling on a property and cannot go in an accessory building, such as a garage. They can, however, go in a secondary building that meets the building code for residency.
In an email, planning manager Dave Schulz explained that dealing with the official plan and zoning bylaw amendments is the preferred first step because they set the “background and framework for the full licensing regime.”
The licensing bylaw, he said, will “expand on this framework and cover items that cannot be covered within the planning instruments.”
Essentially, it gets into the nitty-gritty details, such as minimum and maximum lengths of [stays], number of rental days per year, any cap on number of licences, maximum number of guests and licensing fees.
Fees vary around the region, with Fort Erie charging $750 a year for one- and two-bedroom homes and $1,250 for three bedrooms. Wainfleet, meanwhile, charges $1,000 and has strict penalties for those operating without a licence — $10,000 for first offence, $15,000 for second and $20,000 for third.
While fees have not yet been laid out, the staff report indicates they intend to set them at a rate to cover the cost of staff resources.
Coun. Gary Bruno said he wants to ensure staff have everything they need to bring the licensing bylaw before council for approval prior to the end of the year.
City clerk Charlotte Madden said the bylaw will be ready sometime in November, though likely toward the end of the month to allow time for consultation.
Acting chief administrative officer Gary Long said he will reiterate to chief administrative officer Scott Luey upon his return council’s desire this be made a priority.
Acting mayor Ron Bodner said he’s confident the matter will be dealt with as quickly as possible.