Franklin Council Takes Steps to Zone Short-Term Rentals (Airbnbs)

| April 3, 2018

FRANKLIN, Pa. (EYT) – Airbnbs are relatively a new phenomena in the short-term housing rental industry, and they could soon be covered by Franklin’s zoning ordinances.

Franklin City Council took the first steps to including Airbnbs in the city’s zoning ordinance, passing on a first-reading basis. The change to the ordinance will cover short-term housing rentals. (Airbnb is actually the company that has made renting your dwelling out to vacationers on a short-term basis a trend.)

The next step will be a public hearing at 7:00 p.m. on May 7, prior to the regularly scheduled council meeting at the city hall followed by second and third readings of the ordinance.

The amended zoning ordinance includes definitions for short-term rentals (Airbnb), bed and breakfasts, and boarding houses, defines what a dwelling is and then sets forth what people who are living in each of the city’s zoning districts can and cannot do concerning the short-term rentals.

The amended ordinance calls for anyone owning a dwelling in an area zoned as “R-2 Medium-Density Residential District” to be able to do short-term rentals without additional approval. Anyone living in an area zoned “R-1 Single-Family Residential District,” “C-1 Commercial District,” or “CBD Central Business District” would have to apply to the zoning commission for a special exception in order to do short-term rentals.

In addition, the ordinance would also repeal the current requirement that a Bed and Breakfast be limited only to the city’s historic district.

A bed and breakfast, as defined by the ordinance, will be an “owner-occupied or manger-operated dwelling with not more than 10 sleeping units offering, for compensation, overnight or short-term lodging with meals for transient guests.”

A short-term rental will be defined as a “dwelling that is the owner’s principal place of residence offering, for compensation, overnight or short-term lodging for transient guests.”

A boarding house will be defined as a “dwelling with not more than 10 sleeping units offering, for compensation, overnight or short-term lodgings without meals for transient guests.”

The definition of a dwelling will be “any building that contains one or two dwelling units used, intended or designed to be built, used, rented, leased, let or hired out to be occupied or that is or are occupied for living purposes.”

A single-family dwelling is defined as a “detached dwelling unit with kitchen and sleeping facilities designed for occupancy by one family. This definition shall not include a short-term rental”

A two-family dwelling is defined as a “building designed or arranged to be occupied by two families living independently with the structure having only two dwelling units. This definition shall not include a short-term rental.”

The ordinance also defines a transient as an “occupancy of a dwelling, unit or sleeping unit for not more than 30 days.”

The council passed the reading on a first-reading basis – an ordinance must go through three readings, although two can happen at the same time following the public hearing, in order for it to become law – without much discussion.

The only questions asked by James Marshall and Donna Fletcher was why the Bed and Breakfasts were limited to just the historic district in the past. City solicitor Brian Spaid said that pre-dated his time, and he could only speculate that, at one point, a prior council didn’t want them to be spread out across the city.

LOCAL COUPLE INQUIRES ABOUT STREET CROSSING SAFETY

A local couple addressed the council about their concerns about the crosswalk at the light at Washington Crossing and Liberty Street from Spaid’s office to the Rite-Aid store.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith, who have lived in the City for two years, told the council that crossing the street at that intersection is taking their lives into their own hands.

“It’s horrifying,” Mrs. Smith said. “My husband and I should be dead.”

The Smiths said they talked to State Representative R. Lee James about it, but he wasn’t much help telling them to contact the city.

Mr. Smith said the major issue is he gets halfway across the street and the sign turns to “Do Not Walk.”

Marshall said perhaps the easiest way to rectify the issue would be to contact PennDOT about lengthening the walk sign.

Jamieson said the city will have to work with PennDOT to get it lengthened.

“We would do the work, but we need PennDOT to approve it,” Jamieson said.

OTHER BUSINESS

In other business the council:

  • Agreed to donate $1,200.00 to the Franklin YMCA’s annual campaign. According to Wendy Thompson from the YMCA, the annual campaign helps to provide financial assistance to community members in the form of scholarships to help cover the cost of membership and other programs. Last year, 1,130 community members were helped out by the program, roughly 32 percent of the entire Franklin YMCA membership. Thompson said the YMCA uses the same criteria used for the Federal Student Lunch Program to determine eligibility and then gives scholarships that cover either 30 percent or 60 percent of the cost of membership. Last year, the total amount of scholarships given was $138,026.00 including $70,352.00 in membership scholarships, $9,437.00 in program subsidies, and $58,237.00 in mission subsidies such as learn to swim. The YMCA raised $67,735.00 a year ago from the annual campaign and also had a $21,000.00 grant. “Our goal is to make sure people know about the program, the needs of the program and the impact of the program,” Thompson said.
  • Entered into an ARLE Grant agreement with PennDOT for the replacement of traffic signal poles. Jamieson had told the Council at the March meeting that the city had received the grant from ARLE (Automated Red Light Enforcement) in the amount of $78,237.00. The action taken Monday allows the city to collect that money.
  • Approved a pair of Certificates of Appropriateness. One for 927 Elk Street allowing for the expanding of an existing backroom, doors and windows and another for 1240 Liberty Street for masonry work.
  • Gave approval to a number of parade and park requests including for Jump for Julie, a wedding, Thursday Night Concerts May 31 through Aug. 30), Flag Day Celebration (June 14), Taste of Talent Vocal (June 20 through July 25), Fourth of July Festivities (June 26 through July 7), Taste of Franklin Weekend (Aug. 4-5), Worship in the Park (both for 2018 – Aug. 19 – and 2019 – July 28), and the Annual Duck Race (Oct. 7).

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