Emmitsburg considers short-term
 transient rentals

Danielle Ryan

(4/24) Emmitsburg’s Board of Commissioners discussed short-term transient rentals and the possibility of modifying an ordinance to include rentals of this type into the town code during the April 2 town meeting,. As it currently stands, Emmitsburg has no ordinance regarding short-term transient rentals.

The business of short-term transient rentals is particularly popular in vacation getaway spots like Ocean City where many homeowners are willing to rent their homes to guests for a few nights at a time. Popular websites like Craigslist, Airbnb, and Zillo are used to facilitate these transactions. Locally, the venture is gaining steam as a few properties in Emmitsburg have popped up for rent. The town of Emmitsburg receives visitors for family reunions and weddings often, as well as Christians on pilgrimages to the area.

This topic has been under discussion by the Planning Commission since October of last year. Town Planner Susan Cipperly gave a brief presentation before the agenda item was opened up for discussion by the Board and members of the public. As discussed by the Planning Commission, there are some concerns that the town must consider in regards to short-term transient rentals. These concerns include: the potential for commercialization of residential districts; reduction of neighborhood cohesion due to an non-stable, transient population; possible impact on property values; safety and noise concerns; possible unfair competition with hotels and legal short-term rentals.

Any resident who may wish to establish the business of short-term transient housing may need to go through an approval process by the Planning Commission and could be required to meet conditions such as: presenting proof of liability, presenting proof of adequate on-site parking, having an on-site manager present during the rental period, and there may be a limit placed on the number of rooms rented/percent of building being rented.

An Emmitsburg resident provided feedback during the meeting on her experience with rentals of this kind. She explained to the Board that she currently rents a few bedrooms in her home to visitors in the area using the website Airbnb. She said that the drawbacks presented were worst-case scenarios. Airbnb provides a "profile" of those renting properties with a description of the property and the property owner. Also, those wishing to rent a room/property must be approved by the property owner. She noted that those using this website, in her experience, are not troublesome individuals and have always taken care of her home. She would never rent her home to individuals who wouldn’t take care of it during their stay and who would be disrespectful of her neighbors. The resident also noted through her own research she discovered that Frederick County currently has no regulation, apart from safety regulations, for these types of rentals and no ordinance regarding them currently exists.

Commissioner Joe Ritz expressed concern for the neighbors around renters, and particularly showed concern with this business taking place outside the Village Zone, or the Commercial District. Commissioners discussed the right of individual property owners to use their property as they please and understood the desire to participate in this type of business. The Commissioners all agreed that it would not be necessary to write an entirely new ordinance, when modifications to an existing one could be made.

No official action was taken on this agenda item, but town staff will research policies of similar towns regarding short-term transient rentals and will acquire information from Frederick City. This topic will be brought back at a future meeting.