Community members question rules on short-term rentals

City forum addresses proposed changes to short-term rental regulations

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) — Community members voiced their frustrations Thursday regarding short-term rentals and proposed regulations during a forum held in Lexington. The discussion is part of a broader national conversation about the impacts of platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo on local communities.

“I think we’d see a lot of lost business outside of Fayette County if we didn’t have any short-term rentals,” said Mary Quinn Ramer with VisitLEX.

At the forum, which took place in Fayette County, a range of issues surrounding short-term rentals were examined. Topics included the effects these rentals have on neighborhoods and communities.

“Neighbors were concerned about the parties that were taking place in their neighborhoods, with these short-term rentals. They were concerned about overconcentration in certain neighborhoods and that the neighborhoods were losing their feel. And that neighbors didn’t feel like it was the same community that they moved into,” said 1st District Councilmember, James Brown.

As well as, the potential benefits they offer to tourism, particularly concerning events such as Keeneland’s upcoming Fall Meet.

“Tell you that there are a lot of weekends where we are at full capacity in our hotels, and the short-term rentals that we have in the city allow for us to keep the business inside of Fayette County,” said Mary Quinn Ramer

City leaders also addressed several proposed amendments to current short-term rental regulations. The changes under consideration include:

• Reducing the maximum occupancy limit from 12 to 10 people.
• Modifying the criteria used by the board that reviews short-term rental applications.
• Implementing spacing requirements to avoid overcrowding in specific areas.

These proposed changes prompted several questions and concerns from attendees.

“My question was did they consider the actual cost of implementing all this new regulation? And it was interesting to hear the councilmember actually openly said they did not actually consider the cost. We have to protect our residents we want people to make money, but are we just creating jobs, or are we just creating bills and not covering our costs,” said financial advisor, Danielle Gerbracht.

The issue is expected to be discussed further at the Urban County Council meetings scheduled for next week.