JT invites input on short-term rental law

Jim Thorpe borough is hoping to schedule two upcoming public meetings where residents can share their ideas about how they’d like to see a zoning amendment to regulate short-term rental properties take shape.

Borough Manager Maureen Sterner said a lot of people showed interest in being on a committee to hash out the regulations, leading to the upcoming brainstorming sessions.

“We don’t have dates yet, but we’re looking to have one meeting during the day and one at night, so we can reach as many people as possible,” Sterner said. “We’ll then put all of the ideas together as well as the information from the planning commission and present all of it to council to look over.”

Short-term rentals have been a hot topic in the borough since a copy of a draft zoning amendment as released over a month ago. Residents, many of them short-term rental operators themselves, packed the borough’s workshop and council meetings in September to show their concern over verbiage in the draft.

Matthew Rechs, who operates five such properties in the borough, said his concerns with the ordinance in its current draft form had to do with where short-term rentals could be located and how many parking spaces they had to provide for guests.

The draft has a provision that would, barring a special exception, limit such properties to Broadway, Jim Thorpe’s historic district, and require owners to provide one parking spot per bedroom being rented.

“I think around 80 percent of this ordinance is good, but the devil is in the details, and that is what we need to get worked out,” Rechs told council at its Sept. 5 workshop.

On Thursday, Michael Rivkin, acting Jim Thorpe Tourism Agency president, and co-owner of The Parsonage Bed & Breakfast, said he was part of a committee that worked hard on the amendment for several years.

Putting it on the back burner entirely, he cautioned council, would be unfortunate.

“Our team made diligent efforts to take bits and pieces from what other communities are doing,” Rivkin said. “Our mantra was to create a level playing field so that those who operate short-term rentals invest in things like life safety, parking, safe kitchens etc., the same way others in the lodging business have done. We need to make sure the visitor experience is safe and positive. All of that is paramount.”

Rivkin said most short-term rental operators go above and beyond in making sure their offerings are top notch and all safety issues, such as fire suppression systems, are handled properly.

Louis Hall, Jim Thorpe Planning Commission chairman, said the biggest issue for short-term rental operators is going to be where such properties are allowed. Some people suggest allowing them everywhere, he said, and weeding out problem properties as they come up, while others favor them in only certain zoning districts.

“I’m open to discussing where they can be located and even the parking issue, but the inspections, as far as making sure they are safe and have all of that in place, is nonnegotiable for me,” Councilman John McGuire said.

Rechs suggested an oversight board made up of short-term rental owners and council members. He also pitched a three strikes rule for short-term rentals, and he indicated that anyone not abiding by certain criteria would not be able to get a permit in the future.

Sterner said she hopes the brainstorming sessions can be scheduled as soon as possible.

“We don’t want to lose another month on this.”