The City of Rossland won’t approve any more short-term rentals in the city while council explores revisions to its policy governing them.
“We want to make sure it’s working for our community,” Mayor Kathy Moore says. “There have been a lot of issues recently.”
Moore says some believe the current policy, which limits such rentals to one per block in parts of the city, isn’t fair, as it gives preference to the first application regardless of whether it is the most appropriate.
“We do want to limit them because we want to make sure we preserve the feel of each neighbourhood,” Moore says. “You don’t want to end up with tons of short term rentals. We have to figure out some way to limit them but we’re not sure first-come, first-serve is the best way.”
Moore says they are also considering not allowing short-term rentals in self-contained suites or carriage house, which they believe ought to be long-term rentals, of 30 days or more.
“We have so many people who might come for the season and work in our coffee shops or at the ski hill and they can’t find a place to live,” Moore says. “That’s defeating the purpose of having accommodation that works for everyone.”
She says they are considering limiting short-term rentals to people with a room in their house, not a basement suite with kitchen and bathroom, which would be reserved for 30 days or longer.
Under the present policy, short-term rentals are limited to no more than five per cent of properties in “old town” Rossland, but it is unlimited at Red Mountain and round the Redstone clubhouse.
