DEPARTMENT: Development Services
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Michael Shannon, PE, CBO
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT:
Briefing and discussion of a City Council Request to review best practices regarding short term rental regulation.
SUMMARY:
A Council Consideration Request was sponsored by Councilman Mike Gallagher on January 26, 2017, to review current ordinances and city code procedures for short term rentals. The concept of renting rooms or homes on a short term basis is not new. However, new online services that facilitate short term rentals have led to a rapid proliferation of home sharing as an alternative to more traditional visitor lodging arrangements in San Antonio. This trend has initiated debates about whether or not new regulatory or enforcement mechanisms are necessary to mitigate potential effects on neighborhoods within San Antonio.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
There is no current state or local regulation for short term rentals (excluding Bed & Breakfast, UDC Sec. 35 A101, 35-374). However, Senate Bill 451 was introduced February 6, 2017, at the 85th Legislature proposing to limit a municipality's ability to regulate short term rentals through zoning unless a demonstration of life, health, and safety is made. SB451 was heard at the Senate Business and Commerce Committee in Austin on March 14th. At that committee meeting, seven (7) Texas Cities registered opposition to the bill.
In San Antonio, home sharing is one facet of a larger trend commonly referred to as the "sharing economy." This phrase often encompasses a wide range of transactions mediated by websites or mobile technology related to sharing property or services. Because home sharing has the potential to change the character of established residential areas, we are proposing how best to accommodate the demand for new types of lodging without undermining goals related to housing, land use, or transportation.
There are three basic varieties of short term rentals: (1) hosted sharing...
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