The Two Rivers City Council is still working on what to do with Short-term Rentals (STRs) in the city.
During their monthly work session yesterday (October 28th), council members heard from West and Dunn Attorney Andrew Adams about what their city ordinances do now for the rentals.
Andrews says there are fees and a criminal background check for starting up something like an Airbnb, but the city Zoning Code could be changed to make it easier or more challenging for developers to start a new one.
The council also heard from Police Chief Ben Meinnert about calls to STRs, to which he said there had been 23 so far this year.
The crimes included noise complaints, long grass, and one instance of underage drinking.
Tourism Director Joe Metzen explained that 25 STRs are operating without a license out of 44 in the county.
The council then heard from Andre and Susan Robitaille, who said 75 people are concerned about Airbnb’s taking over city areas.
“And definitely, please, reach out to these 75 people,” Susan said. “Listen to them. Listen to why they feel opposed to some of these things because their voices matter.”
Short Term Rental Owner Joe Baeten explained that his investments benefit the community.
“We operate these in Two Rivers and in Manitowoc,” he stated. “We’ve helped assist in opening some up in Illinois. We have some experience doing these. I will say Two Rivers already has a pretty robust ordinance the way it is.”
The council didn’t take any action but could move forward with zoning changes and updating its ordinance in the future.
