Brief: Revelstoke short-term rental city staff report presents three options

A new report from City of Revelstoke development services staff to be discussed at a Dec. 9, 2021 committee meeting presents three options for short-term rentals policy, recommending one of them.

Over the past two years, the city has been working on try to update its short-term rentals policy. A proposed new policy went to a public hearing in late October and received criticism from multiple perspectives.

On Nov. 9, city council backed away from the plan, rescinding second reading of the bylaw and sending it back for further discussion, which will start at the Dec. 9 committee meeting.

A new report published ahead of the meeting presents three basic policy options and staff is recommending one of them.

The first option is to proceed with the plan presented in October with unspecified adjustments to the plan.

The second option is to hold off on short-term rentals policy until the provincial government further clarifies provincial policies related to short-term rentals.

The third option, which is recommended by staff, is to move ahead with a plan to restrict short-term rentals to specific areas of the city, allowing them only in the areas such as at Revelstoke Mountain Resort, the downtown business district, and the Mackenzie Village development.

Council and staff members will discuss next steps at a Dec. 9 committee meeting. What happens after that depends on the outcome of the meeting, but it seems the process will continue into 2022.

For more background, see our archive of stories related to Revelstoke short-term rentals policy here.