ST. LOUIS 鈥 Aldermen on Friday passed what could be the city鈥檚 first regulations on short-term rentals after years of dissension.
A bill sponsored by Alderman Bret Narayan, of Dogtown, would require operators to apply for annual permits, which would include building inspections, and limit those who don鈥檛 live in their building to renting out four units citywide. It would also bar rentals in properties receiving city tax abatements, cap their numbers in multi-family buildings, and shut down rentals that rack up three code violations or nuisance instances within 24 months.
And thanks to a compromise struck last Friday, it would require people looking to rent out homes in areas zoned for single-family dwellings to go through a special review process where neighbors could voice concerns and officials could impose more rules.
鈥淭he spirit of this legislation is turning back control over to those neighborhoods,鈥 Narayan said.
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Altogether, the legislation marks the most serious effort to date to rein in rentals offered on sites like Airbnb and VRBO, some of which have made headlines in recent years for hosting raucous parties that have disturbed neighborhoods and witnessed deadly violence.
It wasn鈥檛 enough for some.
Alderman Shane Cohn, of Dutchtown, said he鈥檚 worried the new rules could discourage investment in struggling areas like his where short-term rentals can help fill vacant homes.
Alderwoman Sharon Tyus, of Kingsway East, said the bill didn鈥檛 do enough to keep them out of neighborhoods in north 狐狸视频. She said those renting out homes there should have to live within 500 feet so they鈥檙e affected by any trouble.
The bill passed, 11-3. Voting no were Tyus and Aldermen Laura Keys, of the O鈥橣allon neighborhood, and Pam Boyd, of Walnut Park West. Cohn, who has operated a short-term rental, abstained from voting.
The legislation now goes to Mayor Tishaura O. Jones for her consideration.