“Austin has spent decades building a reputation as an innovative city, but our new City Council’s confusion about (the) issue is destroying our reputation and driving away investment capital,” according to Capital Factory Executive Director Joshua Baer. In the Medium post, Baer is reacting to recent actions by Council placing occupancy limits on short-term rentals, […]
short term rentals
Properties rented for fewer than 30 days.
Posted inCity Council
Council adopts new regulations for short-term rentals
City Council on Tuesday passed, on a 9-2 vote, new regulations governing short-term rentals that aren’t owner-occupied. Council also adopted plans to phase out all of the so-called STR Type 2 properties in residential zones by 2022. Council members Ellen Troxclair and Don Zimmerman opposed the new rules, many of which become effective in 10 […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: STRs forever (and ever)
Airbnb talks SXSW… Once again, short-term rentals are coming back to City Council. With a phase-out of Type 2 short-term rentals still on the table, the industry’s biggest players are working to let Austinites know the value they bring to the city. And, with South by Southwest just around the corner, Airbnb has released some […]
Posted inLand Development Code
HomeAway launches effort to keep short-term rentals “Neighborly”
Now that the ride-hailing debate is in the hands of voters, City Council is set to return to another favorite time consumer: short-term rentals. And, although it has kept a relatively low profile to date, HomeAway held a press conference to let the city know that it is concerned with some of the options currently […]
Posted inAustin
2015: An Austin Monitor review
In 2015 the shift to single-member districts was finally realized, leading to big changes at City Hall. Now, almost a year later, the Austin Monitor is taking a look back at the past 12 months from our admittedly selective point of view. 10-1 takes the dais In terms of local politics, there was no bigger […]
Posted inLand Development Code
Planning Commission weighs in on STR regs
With a cry of “stop it now,” there was a moment during the Planning Commission’s Tuesday night meeting when it looked like commissioners would push to immediately eliminate Type 2 short-term rentals in residential areas. Eventually, that suggestion gave way to a more measured one, but commissioners still managed to get their point across: Short-term […]
Posted inCity Hall
Reporter’s Notebook: Concrete endures
Happy Birthday, Shudde!… There wasn’t much going on at the last meeting of the Zoning and Platting Commission on Tuesday, Nov. 17. It took the panel only 15 minutes to approve the consent agenda, postpone a couple of items and adjourn. The only notable thing that took place occurred after the meeting, when Commissioner Jackie […]
Posted inThe Code
STR moratorium headed back to Council
Though the city continues to untangle City Council’s myriad proposed amendments to the Short Term Rental Ordinance, a proposed ordinance placing a moratorium on commercial short-term rentals sailed through the Planning Commission on Tuesday night. If approved by Council, the ordinance will change city regulations in order to suspend the issuance of Type 2 short-term […]
Posted inHousing
Code says STR licenses are a strain on staff
Short-term rentals such as those listed on Airbnb and HomeAway are a hot-button issue in Austin, and the city is at work trying to fix the problems that residents have drawn attention to in the past several months. Austin Code Department staff has also identified problems, not the least of which is a shortage of […]
Posted inThe Code
Council pursues unusual process for STRs
The debate over short-term rentals isn’t over in Austin. Not even close. After approving a series of recommendations for future restrictions Tuesday, City Council delayed further action on its ongoing resolution until Oct. 8. While the goal of the resolution was to present a comprehensive vision for short-term rental regulations that city staff could use […]
Posted inThe Code
Council pondering new STR moratorium
Some call Type 2 short-term rentals miniature hotels in neighborhood homes, while others call them an honest way for residents to make money. Either way, they have become a major point of contention, and City Council is considering putting a moratorium on issuing new STR operating licenses while it tests out new regulations. There are […]
Posted inThe Code
Committee moves short-term rental discussion on to Council
Proposed regulations for short-term rentals will be on City Council’s agenda Thursday after a Council committee hearing displayed consensus from members and staff that the city needs to more strictly regulate the short-term rental market. The committee did not vote to recommend all of the proposals floated at the meeting, but it decided unanimously that […]