Collingwood council has approved the next steps toward a short-term rental licensing progam by asking staff to gather public input on the idea.
During its meeting on June 5, council gave the final vote of support to a staff recommendation that the town proceed with public consultation on a licensing regime and report back to council by the fall with the results.
The plan, first brought to council in May, is to create a licensing program offering 200 licences annually for short-term rentals. In February, council decided the town would pursue a licence program that requires operators to live in the home or on the property as their principal residence.
Based on the current proposal for a licensing program, all short-term rental owners or operators must apply for an annual licence.
This idea caused some concern for Councillor Brandon Houston, who said he heard from local bed and breakfast owners that this rule could negatively impact their registered businesses.
“Recognizing we are waiting for public input before anything is decided, but … there’s concern over legally licensed bed and breakfasts being required to pay for this licensing … and there are questions around whether that is a reasonable ask of bed and breakfasts that have gone through a significant amount of work to get their businesses licensed,” said Houston.
Clerk Sara Almas said part of the detailed public and stakeholder consultation that will occur over the next few months will be to look at classes of fees for different short-term rental types, including a specific one for bed and breakfasts that are registered businesses.
The draft framework for a short-term licensing program in Collingwood is available in a staff report on the town’s website here.
Currently, most short-term rentals outside of hotels and motels are prohibited in Collingwood by the town's zoning bylaw. Bed and breakfast units are allowed for short-term rental only if the owner or proprietor also lives in the same building where the units are being rented.
Despite this rule, according to the staff report, as of Jan. 31 the Town of Collingwood has identified 318 unique short-term rental units advertised through 402 online listings.
Of these short-term rentals, 89 per cent occupied the entire home, 12 per cent occupied part of a home (similar to a traditional B&B), 70 per cent occupied single-family homes and 30 per cent occupied multi-family dwellings.
Details on upcoming public and stakeholder consultations will be posted on the Engage Collingwood site here.
With files from Jessica Owen
