City continues vacation rental discussions

By Cameron Rasmusson
Reader Staff

The Sandpoint City Council is taking its time in reshaping its vacation rental policies, continuing the discussion to its Oct. 18 meeting.

An effort to bring city vacation rental regulations up to date with state law, the proposed changes to short-term rental policies aim to provide flexibility for homeowners marketing to tourists. However, they must also provide protections to ensure neighborhood integrity and peace. The issue is magnified by the short-term nature of vacation rentals, which some homeowners say attract noisy parties and disrupt the formation of neighborhood communities. Property owners at the Wednesday meeting were particularly concerned by a lack of regulation limiting the density of vacation rentals in a given area.

According to Sandpoint City Planner Aaron Qualls, council members should aim to have an action finalized by early November. As whatever changes the council approves will go into effect on Jan. 1, this will give the city time to notify homeowners of the new policies.