Avon puts moratorium on short-term residential rentals after Airbnb brings complaints

AVON — Travelers planning to stay in an Airbnb or other short-term residential rentals on their trip through Avon this winter should make other plans. City Council passed a 180-day moratorium on such sub-30-day rentals in non-owner-occupied residences Monday, to give officials time to develop comprehensive regulations in its planning and zoning code. As an emergency measure, the moratorium goes into effect immediately upon its passage and the approval of Mayor Bryan Jensen, although anyone who may currently be renting a residence for the short term will not be kicked out by the city. Bed and breakfasts are still permitted and are outlined in the planning and zoning code as a permitted special use, and homeowners can still rent if they also occupy the house. Longer-term rentals are unaffected. Violating the moratorium could lead to a first-degree misdemeanor, according to the legislation. Law Director John Gasior said interest in the moratorium developed after a resident complained to the city about an Airbnb rental being run from a home in the Camelot Estates subdivision. "This caused a bit of a problem in the subdivision. The folks there across the street were concerned about the number of vehicles going in and out, different people, strangers," Gasior said. "I guess the new property owner took the title around Dec. 20, and of course the holidays being upon us at that time, we've had a lot of activity." Putting a stop to the rentals for 180 days will give members of Council and the Planning Commission time to review legislation from other cities and decide what they may be interested in adopting. Specifically, Gasior mentioned legislation passed by Bay Village Council after an infamous 2019 short-term rental house party was busted by police. The legislation passed in Bay Village put tight restrictions on rentals that are for 30 days or less. Gasior said he believes these types of rentals could be "the thing of the future," and were seen in Avon during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, when some homeowners rented their homes to delegates for a week. Councilman Bob Butkowski, 1st Ward, said he represents the Camelot Estates neighborhood where the Airbnb at question is located. He said it is important to him that people currently staying there are OK, but no more rentals should be initiated after they're out. "I'd like to have something so that it's crystal clear for anybody that might be operating this way that when (the renter) is out, that's it. We're moving on and no more temporary, less-than-30-day rentals to the property for the next six months, until we figure this out," he said. Gasior said he plans to contact the owner of the house to inform them of the legislation and its implications. Contact Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @drey1357.