Commission approves clarifying short‑term rental language: no individual-room rentals; adds downtown districts

Planning staff proposed amendments to the Unified Development Code and the municipal code to clarify short‑term rental rules. The changes explicitly state that a short‑term rental cannot offer individual rooms for rent and that only the entirety of a single‑family dwelling or an accessory dwelling unit may be rented. Staff also added downtown zoning districts to the set of districts where short‑term rentals may be permitted (the downtown additions had been omitted from earlier advertising) and clarified that shelters such as tents, trailers, yurts and similar portable structures are not eligible as short‑term rental units.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about how the language treats ADUs and whether rules are retroactive; staff said the edits are clarifying and do not alter existing substantive prohibitions and that the changes apply going forward. The commission voted to approve the language as noticed.

Next steps: staff will forward the clarified text to City Council for final action.