“You cannot ignore the impact short term rentals have on a community.”
And to manage the impact Muskegon vice mayor Rebecca St. Clair supports an ordinance that only allows the transfer of a short-term rental license one time when the property is sold.
“I like the idea of a onetime transfer because it gives people who have made significant investment in their property a chance to recoup that.”
By limiting the transfer of licenses, Muskegon leaders hope to lower the number of short-term rental units in any neighborhood to four percent of the housing stock. But jeff Borgess says his house is less valuable to buyers if the short-term rental license isn’t included.
“I want the ability to transfer that option to new owners to get the most value out of my house when I sell it.”
Muskegon commissioner Destinee Keener doesn’t think the city should allow even one transfer of the short-term rental license.
“I have to be in support of the individuals who stay here year-round,”
But a majority of commissioners favor the one-time transfer, and approval is expected at the final reading of the ordinance later this month.
“We are going to have to find the unhappy middle ground.”
