Council had a (virtual) public hearing on June 15 to change the zoning bylaw to allow short-term rentals “as a permitted business activity in R1, R2, R3, R4, RM1, RM2 and MHP zoned areas of Tumbler Ridge.”
These are various residential zones, from single family (R1–R4 are single family lots, for instance, while RM1 and 2 are multi-family and MHP is Mobile Home Park)
The public hearing also amended the business licence bylaw to allow for short-term rentals to be run as a business in town, as well as the fees and services bylaw.
Last summer, the District was approached by a resident looking to get a business licence to operate an Air BnB, but the District didn’t have an option for them under the existing bylaws.
There are currently three properties listed at www.airbnb.com, one of which is the Tumbler Ridge Inn.
AirBnB is the most popular and best known short-term rental site where a person can rent out either a room in their home, or their whole property, either while they are away or because they have multiple properties.
Travelers can rent this space—often for less than the cost of a hotel—for a day or two, or for a month or two, depending on the property.
While the idea seems fairly innocuous, the idea has caused headaches for governments, property owners, strata organizations and created far reaching, and not always good, social change.
There were no public submissions received at the meeting.
Later on in the meeting, the bylaws received third reading, and will be passed—should all things remain as they are—at the next Council Meeting on July 13.
