Neighborhood Controversy Sparks City Council Debate
Council to Discuss Moratorium on Short Term Rental Licensing
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The 2500 block of East First Street in Duluth, is a quiet place with a beautiful lake view.
Nicole Bakken and her family live in the historic residential neighborhood.
Last month, Bakken and her neighbors were notified the new owner of a neighboring home intended to turn the residence into a short term rental property.
“We feel as a neighborhood that we live in the historical district of Duluth,” Bakken said. “This is a residential neighborhood, as are many neighborhoods in Duluth, and we like to know the people that we live next door to.”
Many in the neighborhood are uncomfortable with the idea of a short term rental property on their street.
Bakken stated that there are long term rentals in the community and that the people who live there are part of the community.
The neighbors’ concern is with short term renters who come and go with no consequences for poor behavior or ties to the area.
Speaking of the owner of the proposed vacation rental Bakken stated, “If he wants to make it his primary residence, live there and rent it out on the weekends to people that’s different because there’s someone who’s there. It’s more like a bed and breakfast then. With these short term rentals there’s no rules—regulations that come with it.”
These concerns are what led some in this 1st street neighborhood to contact Duluth City Councilor Joel Sipress.
Next week, the city council will vote on whether to approve the licensing of the short term rental in Bakken’s neighborhood.
At that same meeting Sipress and fellow councilors Sharla Gardner and Barb Russ will be introducing a proposed ordinance temporarily blocking the licensing of new short term rentals citywide.
Councilor Sipress spoke about the needs for regulation of person to person lodgings, Thursday.
“If you’re in the lodging business you are responsible for maintaining a safe, healthy, clean environment and it’s the responsibility of local government to ensure that that’s happening,” Sipress said. “We do that with our existing lodging businesses we need to do that with this new type of business.”
Councilor Sipress believes these types of rentals can have benefits, but wants them operated properly.
“We need to make sure that it’s done in a way that again protects our neighborhoods, protects the public health and safety and establishes a level playing field for everyone who’s in the lodging business.”
With the rapid growth of person to person lodging sites such as Airbnb, cities like Duluth are having a hard time catching up with exactly how to license and regulate them.
Councilor Sipress is proposing the moratorium on licensing to give the city more time to do that.
