Newbold board not in favor of proposed tourist rooming house amendment

The Newbold town board agreed at its July 10 meeting not to support a proposed amendment to change language in Oneida County’s tourist rooming house ordinance allowing short-term rentals in certain zoning districts for less than seven consecutive days, most notably, single-family zoning.

Town chairman Dan Hess explained the proposed amendment was brought to the town’s plan commission first, which unanimously recommended the board support the change. 

He said county supervisor Collette Sorgel of Three Lakes proposed the amendment. 

Besides single-family zoning, Hess said the amendment would also impact forestry 1B, forestry 1C, manufacturing and industrial, and rural residential. 

“Currently, the county ordinance says tourist rooming house rentals of six consecutive days or less are prohibited (in those zoning districts),” he said. 

Hess indicated the change is being proposed because people like to stay in the area for weekends or three to four days at a time and not a full six days or more.

“I believe this is an issue up in Three Lakes … people like to come for a weekend … and they’re not allowed to rent it because the rental has to be six consecutive days,” he said. “This changes it to rent for two or three days, but for one rental per seven day period.”

Town supervisor Brad White asked if the proposed amendment would make it harder for the county to enforce its tourist rooming house ordinance. 

Town supervisor Scott Ridderbusch, an Oneida County land use specialist, said it would make it more difficult. 

“Much harder,” he said. “I’m opposed to this.”

Ridderbusch explained rentals weren’t permitted in single-family zoning districts and the other zoning districts Hess mentioned until state legislation changed that in 2018. 

He said the county enforces tourist rooming houses by the advertisement. 

“So if someone is renting in single-family currently, as the ordinance is written, for less than seven days, it’s a zoning violation (and) a letter is written or a citation is issued,” Ridderbusch said. “With this proposal of the ordinance, it will make it much harder to enforce. I’m firmly against it.”

Hess, also a county supervisor, said he’s concerned that people are already going against the ordinance and renting dwellings for less than seven days in zoning districts that don’t allow it. 

“And it makes it difficult in the Three Lakes area … a lot of people come up on the weekends … and it’s very difficult (for owners), and with the tourist industry and the way it is in our county, I think it actually helps the tourist industry in a better way for them,” he said. “I’ve received tons of emails out of the Three Lakes area because (people) want to come up for the weekend, whether it’s in the summertime or the wintertime to go snowmobiling. So I’m firmly for it.”

Town clerk Kim Gauthier asked why enforcement would be so difficult even if renters are still blocking off a whole week but renting for less than seven days.

“Because if someone complains about that ‘Oh they got more than one person here a week’ and you see all these (listings) blocked off, that’s all you see,” Ridderbusch said. “You don’t know who’s doing it … so all you see is dates filled in, so that makes it much harder to regulate. And to comment on Dan’s statement of people are already doing it, yes, there are people doing it, but the way it’s written now, if someone calls and complains, we can act on it. We don’t go and seek (violators), in terms of the zoning department. And secondly, I don’t know … with this proposal, how it would conflict with our ordinance that we just approved.”

He also clarified for board members the board’s input will go to the county’s planning and development committee before being considered by the full county board.

Ridderbusch indicated he’d like to see the ordinance stay as is. Though, he said, he understands the difficulty tourist rooming house owners have with wanting to better accommodate clients, but, at the same time, enforcement by the county would be too difficult. 

Ultimately, the board rejected the proposed amendment to the county’s tourist rooming house ordinance on a 5-1 vote — Hess casting the dissenting vote.

Trevor Greene may be reached via email at [email protected].