City to hold tourist house forum

On Tuesday evening, immediately following its 5 p.m. meeting, the City of Rhinelander plan commission will fulfill the Common Council’s request that the group hold a public forum/work study to gather community feedback for consideration of potential changes to the city’s tourist house ordinance.

“City residents may attend the meeting immediately following the scheduled plan commission meeting at 5 p.m.,” the city clerk’s office advised in a press release. “City residents may submit letters of comment to the clerk at [email protected] or City Clerk’s Office, 135 S Stevens St, Rhinelander WI 54501. Letters must include full name and address to ensure submission.”

The council directed the commission to study the topic after a group of residents spoke out in opposition to a commission decision to issue a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for a tourist rooming house on Woodland Drive which is the city’s R1 zoning district.

Other requests for tourist house CUPS have also generated concern as Airbnbs, VRBOs and the like are not popular with those who believe short-term rentals are potentially detrimental to residential neighborhoods. 

They argue that well-established single family residential neighborhoods are a poor fit for the increasingly popular practice of renting out homes to tourists who want to experience a community through a short-term stay in a residence rather than a few nights in a hotel

Others believe short-term rentals are a safe, potentially lucrative way to make use of an empty home and there is no demonstrable negative effect on a neighborhood. They also argue it doesn’t make sense to restrict tourist houses in a community that is dependent on tourism. The forum will be held in the council chambers at City Hall.