The Lake Bluff planning board has recommended prohibiting short-term rentals such as Airbnb, but the proposal now heads back to the village board for a final vote.
At a March 19 meeting that stretched more than three hours, the joint plan commission and zoning board of appeals recommended a ban on short-term rentals from coming into Lake Bluff after having a draft ordinance allowing and regulating them through a two-year pilot program referred to commissioners by the village board.
Stated among the concerns of the majority of the commissioners who voted for the prohibition was a potential impact on property values.
“I think there is an erosion of individual property rights of those who bought into this community years ago or just a year or two ago and not expecting this sort of activity,” said Commissioner Gary Peters.
Fellow Commissioner Sam Badger added that he worried about the impact on village staff members, who would be regulating the practice.
“I don’t see how (it) will be effectively enforced by the village,” Badger said.
Joining Badger and Peters in voting for the prohibition were Mary Collins and Elliott Miller.
But Chairman Steven Kraus said he saw the issue through a different lens.
“I think there is a place for this kind of activity in the village,” Kraus said. “There is a lot of fear in the village about transients. I don’t see people coming into the village wanting to rent a house or wanting to rent a couple of bedrooms, candidly, being different than people who already live here.”
Commissioner David Burns preferred to see the allowance of short-term rentals and called for compromise in what has been a contentious issue inside the village.
“I don’t think it is a black-and-white decision,” Burns said. “I think, in many aspects, we need to come together and work better together.”
Commissioner Leslie Bishop joined Kraus and Burns in opposing the ban.
The short-term rental proposals was referred to the plan commission on a 4-3 vote of the village board on March 12 by village board trustees when they were meeting as the committee of the whole, according to Assistant to the Village Administrator Glen Cole. Village board members wanted the plan commission to review a draft ordinance that included language on minimum lot size, minimum stays of guests and safety issues such as the homes possibly requiring sprinklers.
Some discussion on how to tweak the ordinance took place both before and after their vote; Badger said he did not want to prolong the conversation for fear of sending a mixed message to the village board given the decision not to recommend short-term rentals.
Most in the audience of roughly 20 advocated for a prohibition.
“I want to have good relationships and I want to know who my neighbors are,” said Michael Gasey. “That is not Lake Bluff’s brand.”
Heather Klepitsch said a home should be a haven.
“It’s our safe place where you spend time with family and loved ones,” Klepitsch said. “I have enough problems in my life, I don’t need to worry about the neighbors bringing people in and out.”
But David Anderson, a resident who said he has stayed in Airbnb rentals, thought they would be a good idea for the village.
“These people put a lot of trust and faith in the people that are renting from them,” Anderson said. “There is also a screening process, and the safety of the area is not in danger.”
Cole said he was not certain when the matter would come back before the village board. The next scheduled village board meeting is April 9.
