BEACON – The proposed local law that would legalize short-term rentals under certain conditions was the topic of a public hearing before the Beacon City Council in a Zoom session Monday night.
The proposed law would authorize establishing short-term rentals, such as Airbnb’s, in all building zone districts in the city.
The issue of short-term rentals in Beacon has been a topic of concern in the area before. Two years ago, the city council addressed complaints from local residents about public safety and possible rent hikes for longer-term rentals.
Short-term rentals must be owner-occupied, whether they are a single-family home or a home with an accessory apartment. The only catch for those in the latter is that the short-term rental must be in the main home.
“Wherever the owner-occupation occurs is, the unit that can have the short term rental, but not any others,” said Mayor Lee Kyriacou.
So far, comments have already been received from both the Beacon and Dutchess County planning boards asking for changes in the wording of the proposal. The Dutchess County Association of Realtors wrote a letter in support.
Theresa Kraft, a member of the Beacon Historical Society, was the first to weigh in on the matter. Calling into the meeting, she voiced her frustration with living next to a number of short-term rental properties over the years.
“Speaking from experience, living next door to short-term rentals can range from medically concerning to completely life-altering,” she said. “Visitors usually rent for only a couple of days, but neighbors are seeing unfamiliar people coming and going every few days.”
Kraft also voiced concerns about the overall impact legalizing short-term rentals could have on the city as a whole.
“Long-term rentals will take a major hit, especially when the density of short-term rental in the area,” she said. “I worried that the proliferation of short-term rentals in our neighborhood will change the character and transform the quality of life of the area.”
Resident Elaine Ciccio called in as well and wondered why this law was even being considered in the first place amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We should be cautious before giving free reign to something,” she said.
Ciccio cited that Airbnb’s website had 45 rentals available in Beacon at the end of last month.
Protests on similar regulation of short-term rentals have emerged across the U.S. in recent years, from New York to San Francisco.
