Inside208

Short-Term Rental Zoning Preemption Bill Posted for Hearing – ACTION NEEDED

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Dene Westbrook

The House Commerce and Tourism Committee has posted for Tuesday, May 18, 2021 at 9:00 AM to hear testimony on House Bill 4722 in Room 327 of the House Office Building.

This legislation seeks to eliminate a municipality’s ability to regulate short-term vacation rentals. It mirrors several past pieces of legislation and does not include any compromises local government groups have put forth to address concerns voiced by the Michigan Realtors. More information on HB 4722 can be reviewed in the last blog HERE. Send a letter to the committee and your state legislators using our Action Center here. Also, please consider sending the video above (using this link) to your neighborhood associations and block clubs to have them oppose this bill as well.

We need members to contact the bill sponsors and committee members to voice opposition to this all out attack on local decision-making. Local government is best positioned to know the unique needs of their community when discussing zoning issues. The elected decision makers closest to the people are the most appropriate to determine if something needs to be acted upon to maintain the delicate balance between residential and commercial uses, between residents and investment property owners, and to protect the health, safety and welfare of residents, renters and vacation visitors.

Supporters argue this is a property rights issue, but they don’t include all property owners in that argument. Just those who own residential homes for the purpose of using them as vacation rentals to generate revenue. And, for individuals who want to rent out their second home a few times a year to cover property taxes and upkeep, there are examples of municipal regulations across the state allowing this. Are the ordinances all uniform, saying the same thing? No, but our communities are not cookie cutter places. They have different residential and business needs, different demands on services, etc. A one size, fits all solution does not work for this issue. Tell legislators to not support policy prioritizing profits over people!

Make sure to include the committee clerk on all messages, and if you’d like to provide written testimony for the hearing. State you’d like your correspondence included in the official committee record. This is an important step! Committee Clerk – Edward Sleeper

House Commerce & Tourism Committee:

Bill Sponsors:

Yesterday a twin bill to HB 4722 was introduced in the Senate, SB 446. It has been referred to the Senate Regulatory Reform committee, but doesn’t have a hearing scheduled as of this posting.

Jennifer Rigterink is a legislative associate for the League handling economic development, land use and municipal services issues.  She can be reached at [email protected] or 517-908-0305.

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