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Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes June 17, 2025 Page 12 1 The primary use of the guest house has been as an overflow home for friends, family, and neighbors' 2 relatives. This is a community amenity. When available, they have offered the home to carefully 3 selected outside guests to help pay for expenses. This is not a profit center. This is not a high -turnover 4 business. They live next door and monitor the guest house daily. There have been no major issues 5 over the past 10 years. Every potential guest is vetted. Unsuitable applicants tend to withdraw. The 6 selective approach works. They require every guest to sign the list of rules. They have never had to 7 evict a guest. They keep the property in top condition. They have all required rental licenses from the 8 City and pass any inspections every year. They had a legal review before purchasing the property. 9 There is no enforceable rule on the books in St. Anthony against this short-term rental. The home has 10 served many families. This house is not being removed from the city's housing stock. He has seen the 11 short-term rentals in Minneapolis occur. He encouraged the Commission to look at the Harvard 12 Business Review study. Their guest house looks and functions like any other home on the block. 13 There is no commercial activity. Thoughtfully run short-term rentals can enhance the residential 14 community. He challenged the label that short-term rentals are hotels. The generalization that any 15 rental of less than 30 days is like a hotel/motel that does not belong in a neighborhood. Their guest 16 house is not a hotel or motel. It is a home that is available for the short term. Poorly managed short- 17 term rentals can be problems, but their house is not causing any problems. They only own this one 18 house. If they decide to sell the house, it would most likely be purchased by a corporation. He urged 19 the City to consider other solutions. Grandfathering the short-term rentals in St. Anthony as legal 20 non -conforming units. Another idea would be to establish a cap on short-term rentals. The short-term 21 rentals should be owned by residents of St. Anthony. Mandatory licensing and inspections could be 22 carried out as with other rentals. Strict operational rules from the City could include a minimum stay 23 and local management contact. This would show that St. Anthony values their long-time residents. 24 Their family -run guest house is different and has co -existed in the neighborhood for many years. Mr. 25 White will send his written document to Staff to be distributed to the Commission. 26 27 Commissioner Corneille stated he agrees with several Mr. White's comments. There should be some 28 sort of middle ground. He suggested there be 5 short-term rentals per quadrant and the possibility of 29 allowing STR's owned by the contiguous property owner that would mitigate some of the concerns. 30 31 Commissioner Mayne asked if this would fall under the existing rental process. 32 33 Commissioner Erickson thanked Mr. White for coming to the meeting. He asked Mr. Grittman how 34 many short-term rentals there are in the community and Mr. Grittman stated most likely less than 10. 35 He is not sure how many have received licenses. 36 37 Commissioner Mayne asked Mr. White what is put on the application as to how many renters and Mr. 38 White stated he does not know. 39 40 Commissioner Corneille noted there has been no community opposition to short-term rentals. Ms. 41 Morello stated there were none that she could speak to. Commissioner Corneille asked if there is a 42 problem. Mr. Grittman stated that there have been code compliance comments about noise, general 43 activity, and property maintenance for short-term rentals. Commissioner Corneille stated there is a 44 great compliance process for rentals in St. Anthony. The license can be revoked if there are continued 45 violations. He asked if the community is against short-term rentals. The big question is whether this 46 policy is necessary. Is this something that should be banned or regulated?