What should Gig Harbor do about Airbnb-style rentals? Here’s your chance to weigh-in
Gig Harbor is asking the public to weigh-in on what sort of regulations the city should have for short-term, Airbnb-style rentals.
The City Council imposed a six-month moratorium on new short-term rentals in September, and the Planning Commission is considering what regulations for the properties should look like.
Now, the commission is asking the public to comment through Feb. 18.
“In September 2021, City Council adopted a six-month moratorium on new Lodging, Level 1 permit applications until the Planning Commission studies the issue and potentially puts regulations in place,” city officials posted on social media earlier this month. “The Planning Commission has decided to hear from the community first.”
The post said Gig Harbor “has seen an uptick in the number of Short-Term Rentals,” in recent years.
There were 44 short-term rentals the city knew of last year, The Gateway reported, though that was just a rough snapshot city officials came up with based on online listings and other sources. Only one had the right permits, but three more had applied.
City officials want to know what zoning regulations residents think the properties should have when it comes to traffic, parking and noise.
They also want to know if the rentals should be restricted to certain parts of city, how the city should monitor and regulate them, and if there should be an annual registration process.
Whether owners of short-term rentals should have to live in the city or on the premises is another question the city wants input on, among other matters.
Comments can be sent to Michelle Thomas, planning technician, at mthomas@gigharborwa.gov or mailed to the City of Gig Harbor, Planning Division, 3510 Grandview St., Gig Harbor, WA 98335.
The Planning Commission has a study session scheduled March 2. The date of a public hearing is yet to be determined, according to the city’s website.
Some landlords and neighbors spoke at a public hearing in October, the Gateway reported.
“Short and sweet, I think the question is, ‘What does Gig Harbor wish to be?’” Edward Nadler, who lives on Harborview Drive, said at the time. “Are we a tourist destination to generate revenue or is it a place for people to live?”
The city had collected about $14,000 in lodging tax revenue from the properties in 2021 as of October.
“The last thing we want to do is to be bringing in bachelor parties, bachelorette parties or anything like this,” Kelly Arnold, who runs a Gig Harbor property management business, said at the hearing. “The owners of the houses, as well as the managers, only want to make the houses better, to beautify the community and bring in respectful guests.”
This story was originally published February 14, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
