FAIRPLAY, Colo. — In the coming weeks, Park County leaders plan to address what they describe as growing challenges related to short-term rentals.
Commissioners on Tuesday briefly considered a resolution that called for a moratorium on short-term rental applications but quickly backed off, acknowledging they needed more public input.
The proposed resolution said, "...the existing STR (short-term rental) ordinances established on January 4, 2021, have been deemed insufficient to address the complexities and challenges presented by the current STR landscape in Park County."
Like other mountain tourism areas, Park County has seen an explosion of short-term rentals in recent years. While that’s good for tourism, county leaders said it has created problems.
The resolution said, "...the rapid growth of short-term rentals in the county has raised concerns among residents regarding the preservation of community character, housing affordability, and the quality of life."
The resolution called for a 120-day moratorium on short-term rentals. County commissioners said the moratorium would have provided time to learn more about the issues impacting communities and potentially develop plans to address those issues.
"This moratorium allows for a much longer stakeholder involvement with homeowners, STR owners, and local businesses,” said Commissioner Amy Mitchell, who serves as the chair of the Park County Board of Commissioners. “It really was going to be a much more comprehensive process to try to get, like, groups together to brainstorm solutions."
But commissioners said the resolution was not ready for approval. They agreed they needed to get more input from the public before moving forward with any plan.
"I really like the idea of getting people involved in it. And maybe that is the next step is to come out with some stakeholder process that we can define. We can have meetings set up that are public,” said Commissioner Dick Elsner.
Elsner suggested commissioners hold a meeting in the evening when more people would be able to attend.
The county adopted a short-term rental ordinance in 2021, requiring property owners to get an annual license. Commissioners said that the ordinance, along with others, would likely be part of a comprehensive review as they try to balance the interests of all stakeholders.
