Ocean City officials this week agreed to move forward with more regulations on short-term rentals.
On Tuesday, the City Council remanded additional short-term rental regulations to the Ocean City Planning and Commission for discussion and approval. Deputy City Manager JR Harmon said staff recommended setting new occupancy limits on short-term rentals, as well as imposing a minimum length of stay for rentals in the R-1 residential and MH mobile home zoning districts.
“A lot of the concern we were hearing about the short-term rentals is primarily for the R1 district,” he told the council. “So staff, we’ve been banging around some of these ideas for restrictions in ways that protect the health, welfare and safety of those communities, plus the other communities, R-2, MH and others as well.”
Citing an increasing number of rental properties within the municipal limits, officials earlier this year began exploring ways to regulate short-term rentals. Harmon told the council this week that of the 8,930 rental properties in Ocean City, 230 are located in the R-1 residential zone.
To that end, Harmon said staff recommended additional regulations concerning occupancy restrictions and length of stay.
“Basically today we wanted to offer two ideas and then hear from the council if there were any other additional ideas for restrictions that we may want to work in …,” he said.
They are regulating and taxing the vacation industries to death!
Maybe after, I can go back to OC and enjoy the beach again!