Board Delays Action on STR Moratorium for Lake County
Short Term Rentals (STRs). Commissioners conducted a discussion of the many comments they heard at last week’s public hearing about a county proposal to institute a moratorium on new STRs. They expressed appreciation for the congenial tone of the discussion despite opposing opinions. It was brought up that some of the participants seemed to be under the impression that a yearlong moratorium represented a permanent ban, which is not the case. There was general agreement that this is a rapidly expanding industry and the county is trying to determine if regulating the overall numbers of STR is warranted at this time. Some commissioners expressed tentative support for a moratorium; others wondered if it would affect housing in any meaningful way. Everyone expressed support for working closely with the city of Two Harbors; they have been attending those meetings as well. No actions were planned for this meeting but a special workshop was scheduled for May 4 to dive deeper into some of the implications of a moratorium. Environmental Services Director Christine McCarthy, who took part in the discussion, offered to bring forth any requested data to that meeting.
