Manhattan Beach City Council To Revisit Short-Term Rental Ban

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA – The Manhattan Beach City Council will consider revisiting its ban on short-term rentals at its upcoming March 6 meeting. This will be the first time Council will discuss the issue after voting to prohibit short-term rentals in residential zones at a 2015 meeting, according to a City of Manhattan Beach press release. The City Council talked about revisiting this policy at a strategic planning session in May 2017.

As short-term rentals like Airbnb and VRBO have become popular –which are defined as rentals for under 30 days – many cities have debated their impacts upon their own communities and how to appropriately draft regulations. The Manhattan Beach Municipal Code currently prohibits rentals for periods under 30 days, according to the press release.

City staff has researched options for possibly allowing limited short-term rentals while minimizing impacts to residential neighbors. This information will be presented to City Council at the March 6 meeting, followed by a City Council discussion about the regulatory challenges short-term rentals present, including permitting and enforcement, the press release stated. The staff report examines policies other cities have instituted in response to the widespread popularity of technology-enabled home-sharing.

For more information on this matter, contact Assistant Planner Jason Masters at 310-802-5515 or short-term-rentals@citymb.info.

The March 6, 2018 City Council meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall (1400 Highland Ave.). The City Council agenda packet for this meeting will be released on the City’s website on Feb. 28; physical copies will also be available during regular office hours at City Hall, Joslyn Community Center, Manhattan Beach Police Department front desk and the Manhattan Beach Library.

Image via Patch staffer Ashley Ludwig