Fort Erie lifts limit on short-term rental licences

There will no longer be a maximum to the number of short-term rental (STR) licences handed out by the municipality.

A report to the October 7 council-in-committee meeting provided information to councillors on the updates to town bylaws regarding short-term rentals, and recommended approval for staff to amend those bylaws.

The report also outlined some alternatives for councillors to consider surrounding the previous policy of limiting STR licences to 250 a year.

Councillor Tom Lewis moved an amendment to the report to instead endorse no limit. Lewis said he applauded the previous council for putting in the limit, since back then there were many questions.

“At that time we were dealing with an unknown unknown,” he said.

However, Lewis called the 250 number an arbitrary figure that was arrived at without much evidential backing. And with changes made to the nuisance and noise bylaws, as well as land use planning and official plan amendments, Lewis said many of the concerns have been addressed and it was time to let the market decide how many STR licences are required.

Mayor Wayne Redekop was less comfortable with having no limit, though he acknowledged the 250 limit may be too low.

“I’m not prepared to have no cap whatsoever,” he said.

Earlier in the meeting, Ridgeway resident David McPherson spoke as a delegate in opposition to STRs.

One of his concerns revolved around the idea that homes used for STRs take away homes that could be used to reduce or resolve the housing shortage. He said he sees houses in his neighbourhood sitting empty for parts of the year because they’re primarily used as an STR.

“Vacant housing doesn’t make sense, at least to me,” he said.

Redekop lent some support to that line of reasoning.

“They do take houses out of the market for people to live in on a full-time basis. You can’t get around that,” he said, adding that can have an impact on the sense of community in a neighbourhood.

However, his arguments weren’t enough to sway the rest of council.

For Councillor George McDermott, it was a matter of letting the owner use their property as they see fit.

“If I own a home, I think it’s my prerogative what I do with my home,” he said.

Earlier this year the town brought in new rules for STRs, permitting dedicated STRs in commercial zones where residential uses are permitted, the R2B zone within the Crystal Beach neighbourhood, and the waterfront residential zone west of Kraft Road to the town’s western boundary along Lake Erie.

Additionally, owner-occupied STRs are permitted in all residential zones that permit both a principal dwelling unit and a secondary unit.

The changes were appealed, but the royal assent of Ontario’s Bill 185 quashed that appeal.

Lewis said plenty of work has gone into STR regulation in Fort Erie.

“Maybe not everyone is happy but I don’t know if there was an outcome on the STR file where we were ever going to see complete buy-in from the community and acceptance by all,” he said.

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