NEW BUFFALO – With summer approaching, the ax could drop in New Buffalo on vacation rentals getting packed with Lake Michigan worshiping partygoers that are disruptive to neighborhoods.
An ordinance is proposed to limit occupancy of homes converted into short term vacation rentals.
City councilwoman Liz Ennis said she encourages homeowners to turn their places into weekend getaways and for people to come here to enjoy the whole lakefront experience.
But, she and other supporters of the measure (despite what tourism means to the economy here) feel the unrest experienced by a growing number of full-time residents now requires action.
‘’When you’re in the neighborhood and living there with a family you really don’t want people coming and going in crowds that party and don’t necessarily pick up trash. They’re noisy. They got too many cars coming to the house. They’re parking in front of people’s houses,’’ she said.
Under the ordinance, a home used as a short term vacation rental could not have more than two people for every bedroom plus two more for every finished story.
Such dwellings would also be limited to four people for every off-street parking space provided.
The total number of people at any residence would be capped at 14.
Ennis said the number of short term vacation rentals in residential areas has increased dramatically in the city over the past decade or so.
That’s not a bad thing, said Ennis, who noted she encourages homeowners to go that route because of the vacation rental money that can be made especially during the busy summer.
However, Ennis said there are just too many tenants going overboard with the number of guests they have over and the disruption echoing from their activities.
‘’We know people like to come here and we don’t want to keep them from coming here but we have to get a handle on it,’’ she said.
Ennis said the ordinance would not apply to motels or bed and breakfasts.
Jack Kennedy said he received vacation rental complaints during his 11 years on the city council.
Kennedy, who last served in 2011, said problems used to be closer to the lakefront in areas like Water Street and Oselka Drive but the disruption moved inland since vacation rental homes started popping up in more of the traditional neighborhoods.
‘’Now, it’s Eagle Street, It’s Chicago Street, It’s Clay Street, It’s all over – so that’s why it’s got to come to an end,’’ he said.
Kennedy said one reason people cram into vacation rental homes is to split the cost of a short term stay which can easily top $1,000 just for a weekend even in smaller residences.
Cost sharing also means getting more bang for the buck due to many of the homes having swimming pools, hot tubs, outdoor grills, full service kitchens and other luxuries not found in some of the local motels, he said.
‘’You bring in 15 people or something like that per head that’s not all that expensive,’’ Kennedy said.
He estimated the number of vacation rental homes in the city has increased five to ten times over the past decade.
Many of them are second homeowners from Chicago making their residences available when they’re not going to be here.
New Buffalo City Manager David Richards said there are upwards of 800 vacation rental homes in the city.
The population here is just 1,800 in the winter but swells to 18,000 during the summer, he said.
Richards said a meeting to discuss the matter further with people in the vacation rental industry is scheduled at 10 a.m. on March 26 at City Hall.
He said a decision by the city council will come either during a special meeting sometime in April or at the council’s regularly scheduled meeting on April 15.
Richards said another reason for the ordinance is to protect owners of vacation homes and occupants from things like overcrowding which could be tragic in the event of a fire.
‘’We just want to make sure it’s safe,’’ Richards said.
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