Airbnbs spark concerns but permit approved

A request for a conditional use permit to allow Mike and Ellen Weitzel to use their house at 1327 13th Avenue as an Airbnb short-term rental unit was approved by the Village of Grafton Plan Commission last month, but the decision was not without controversy.

The neighboring property owner, Barb Kellner, questioned the use, saying she’s concerned about the noise and potential issues associated with having what is essentially a hotel next door, especially since the properties share a driveway and there’s little to no street parking in their area.

“This is going to be a revolving door,” Kellner, who lives at 1401 13th Ave., said. “It’s going to be a nuisance.”

Carl Stier, 1411 13th Ave., said allowing short-term rentals will take away from the character of the neighborhood.

“A neighborhood starts with knowing your neighbors,” he said. “They’re trying to act as a business.

“I’m wondering why we would start bringing these AirBnbs in,” he said. “Why all the sudden an Airbnb? Why would we start taking our houses and making them  business?”

These units are ripe for problems, he said, since the people renting them are “on vacation. They don’t really care. They’re noisy.”

Karen Stier, 1411 13th Ave., questioned whether the owners would keep up the property, saying they didn’t shovel during recent snowfalls. Instead neighbors did the work so they could walk on the sidewalk.

Community Development Director Jessica Wolff said there is little the village can do when it comes to short-term rentals, noting the state has taken much of the control out of the community’s hands.

“The village doesn’t have a lot of leeway in this,” she said.

State statutes allow rentals of seven to 30 days as a right, she said, while stays of six or fewer days are considered conditional uses. The Weitzels plan to use the 1,540-square-foot house, which can accommodate six people, for these shorter stays, Wolff said, and the permit allows only stays of six days or less. The permit also limits the rental to a maximum of 180 days in any consecutive 365-day period.

Because the two properties share a driveway, the village can limit parking to two vehicles, she added, a provision the commission approved.

If there are issues, whether with the condition of the property or noise, it should be reported to the village, which can take them into consideration in the future, Wolff added.

“Unfortunately our hands are kind of tied,” Village President Dan Delorit said, adding he has concerns about the proliferation of short-term rentals.

He said he tried to determine how many units are available for rent in Grafton on Airbnb but found only five.

“How many people are illegally doing Airbnb and Vrbo?” he asked. “I think it’s probably a little higher than we’d like.”

Commission member Mary Pat Fenton said she too is concerned with these units.

“They’re operating as a hotel in a neighborhood,” Fenton said, with guests coming and going in a “revolving door.”

“I don’t want it to open the door for other people or businesses to buy up” single-family houses and turn them into short-term rental businesses, she said.

The commission approved the permit with the provisions that only two cars be parked there. Members agreed to review the permit and any issues that arise after 12 months.