Durango officials said anyone wanting to be part of the new planning process on vacation rentals needs to sign up in the next few days.
The Durango Planning Commission voted Monday night to recommend a vacation rental permit application at the northeast corner of west 31st Street and West Third Avenue. If the City Council approves it, the vacation rental will be the first in that neighborhood. The city received several letters of opposition from residents, but also got rebuttal letters from property owners Ed and Sue Horvat and a letter not opposing the application from a neighbor.
The Durango City Council unanimously voted last week to approve the Land Use and Development Code after removing the section on vacation rentals for more debate about how to regulate them. Current code requires 500 feet of space between vacation rentals.
The Horvats have a duplex with two long-term rental units, and they are currently building another duplex adjacent to the existing building. Once construction is complete in September, the Horvats want to use unit “A” in the current building for short-term vacation rentals. The couple, from Farmington, plan to live in the new building.
Resident James Glass, who lives across the street from unit “A,” said he has called the police on renters who have lived in the unit in the past for noise and other disturbances. The only resident to speak during the public hearing besides the applicants, he also said he was worried about increased parking.
“For five years, we’ve tolerated it,” Glass said. “We’re fed up, and we’re not going to take it anymore.”
The commission also received opposition letters from residents Amy Donahue, Esther Soto-Schwartz and Barbara Dodds. It received a letter from resident Carolyn Bowra, forwarded to the commission by Ed Horvat, that was described as in favor of the vacation rental request. Her email to Horvat states that she didn’t oppose the request, but doesn’t say she supported it.
Ed Horvat said the comments against the request were “distressing.” The property was his grandparents, and they are retiring here. The couple expects to have a lot of family visiting but wants the vacation rental to have a source of income.
“We want it to be a positive thing in the neighborhood,” Sue Horvat said. “We’ll be living there, so we want to be nice; we don’t want it to be something that’s going to cause problems.”
Commissioner Joe Lewandowski said he sympathized with Glass’ position, but its impossible to police the city’s rental units. The new duplex will add two more rental units to the housing stock. New Commissioner Elsa Jagniecki said the staff report showed there was enough on-site parking for the vacation rental. The commission added a condition the Horvats can’t use the vacation rental unit until they live on-site.
The City Council is scheduled to hear the request May 6.
smueller@durangoherald.com
The story’s original version misstated the number of rental units in the existing duplex and corrected the first name of James Glass. It also clarified Bowra’s letter.
