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Dylan Anderson / Steamboat Pilot & Today
Hayden will restrict short-term rentals in residential areas to main residences, but will allow them in commercial areas, a proactive move on an issue that has become controversial in the valley.
City officials have said Hayden has no short-term rental issues, with only a handful of them in town. City Councilor Mathew Mendisco said earlier this month that there are currently only five in residential areas, although several have been requested in recent weeks.
At a meeting in February, the city council delayed the final decision on short-term rentals and some residents asked councilors to allow a limited number. But the new short-term rental rules remained unchanged after further discussion and were approved this month.
“I think that helps protect your neighbors and keep the neighborhoods we have in this community,” Hayden Mayor Zach Wuestewald said. “I feel like it’s a happy balance.”
In commercial areas, short-term rental is allowed without any limit. Mendisco said these areas already include a number of short-term rentals currently operating in Hayden.
In residential areas, short-term rentals are still allowed if the rental property is a primary residence, which means someone has to live there for more than six months a year. This preserves the possibility of renting a property in the short term for a weekend, or for a few months a year, but not all year round. If it is not a primary residence, short-term rental is not permitted.
Hayden Director of Planning and Economic Development Mary Alice Page-Allen said that if something is a primary residence it depends on where someone receives property tax notices, voting records or the address linked to their driving license when applying for a short-term rental permit.
“It has to be a primary residence,” said board member Bob Reese. “I think the property will be better maintained and the quality of the neighborhood will be maintained at a higher level.”
Wuestewald also stressed that it will be important to review the ordinance to ensure that it remains flexible and in line with community sentiment on the issue.
Some residents have pushed for a limit on short-term rentals, allowing a limited number of non-primary residences to be rented out in the short term.
Dallas Robinson, a resident who owns a house he plans to rent, eventually also proposed requiring a house to be someone’s primary residence, but suggested it should be for at least two years before converting.
But Hayden’s director of planning and economic development, Mary Alice Page-Allen, said measures like this could make it difficult for city staff to enforce the rule, and the council passed the ordinance unanimously on March 3.
The last ordinance that aligns the norm with the updated urbanization code of the municipality will have its second reading and a public hearing on April 7 after being approved unanimously on Thursday, March 17.
“I think that’s a very good balance, and the fact that we can review it every year as needed is a wise decision,” said board member Ryan Banks.
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