ST. LOUIS — The City of St. Louis is now closer to cracking down on short-term rentals. There are currently more than 1,000 short-term rentals within the city.
Short-term rentals aren’t leaving St. Louis anytime soon, so the city is working to control the way their owners conduct business.
“We have no regulations,” 5th Ward Alderman Joe Vollmer said. “Right now, Airbnb’s and Vrbo’s are like the Wild West.”
“If we’re going to act like a grown-up city, we need laws that reflect that,” 6th Ward Alderwoman Daniela Velazquez said. “Right now, it is the Wild West.”
That’s why city leaders advanced two bills aimed at capping the number of short-term rentals a person can own a four, set a two-day minimum, and require the property owner to file for a permit with a public hearing allowing neighbors to weigh in.
“If we’re talking about noise, that’s addressed by this bill,” 9th Ward Alderman Michael Browning said. “If we’re talking about occupancy [and] how many cars you can park outside, that’s addressed by this bill."
However, some city leaders like 12th Ward Alderwoman Sharon Tyus, who at one point asked to opt her ward out of the legislation, voiced their concern that it could create more problems than it solves.
“I didn’t know that short-term rentals to fix the problems where you were having them would create a problem for me,” Tyus said. “That is not a solution.”
“The short-term rental industry is really great for bringing residents to neighborhoods that don’t have hotels,” 8th Ward Alderwoman Cara Spencer. “It really is an incredible asset to many neighborhoods including mine.”
“Let’s put this right next door to your house and see how the hell you feel about it,” Vollmer said. “What’s going to happen to you every day when there are 20 guys throwing beer cans over your fence, urinating in the backyard, and having a wild party?”
During more than four hours of debate, members of the board admitted they expect legal challenges to the legislation to play out in the courtroom, similar to what Kansas City is currently experiencing.
“We can all agree that this legislation isn’t perfect,” Velazquez said. “Something is better than nothing. We need something in a big way.”
The proposed regulations on short-term rentals still must pass one more vote by the Board of Aldermen next week before it heads to Mayor Tishaura Jones for consideration.