Schroon approves, defers, short-term rental law

SCHROON LAKE | The Schroon Town Board approved a short-term rental law Monday, but deferred its enforcement date to 2023, giving residents and renters — and the town itself — time to get acclimated to the new policy. The law is patterned after other STL ordinances that have been passed in tourist-heavy towns and requires renters to register their properties, provide local contacts to handle complaints and ensure the property is safe. The vote was 4-1, with Supervisor Jeff Subra voting no. Subra said he had concerns that parts of the law were not enforceable, and that the town lacked adequate staff to handle the required inspections and enforcement. "I understand why we need it, but I'm not convinced this is the way to go," Subra said. "We haven't put the gears in motion to make it all work." The remaining board members considered tabling the bill, but eventually decided to defer its enforcement date. "That seems to me to be simpler than tabling it and starting all over," said Board Member Meg Woods. Schroon Lake has not experienced some of the horror stories emanating from Lake Placid of clogged local streets in residential neighborhoods and loud, all-night parties, and wants to nip any potential problems in the bud. "If we don't do something and it starts getting out of hand, it's going to be very hard to rein it back in," said Board Member Rick Gero. "I can see this getting out of control if we don't get something down on paper." Schroon Lake Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sue Palisano said the main concern of the lodging industry is that everyone is treated fairly and paying the required bed tax equally. "If all (short-term rentals) are paying bed tax that's great, but they're not," she said. Along with North Elba and Lake Placid, towns of Wilmington and Keene have also worked on STR laws. With adequate control, these rentals have some positive aspects. "For many years, private short-term rentals have been a strong contributor to the local economy," the Schroon ordinance states. "The Town Board recognizes that short-term rentals can attract visitors to the Town of Schroon and can provide an additional source of income to town residents." Short-term rentals, however, can be "incompatible with the sense of privacy, community and ambience currently enjoyed in residential neighborhoods … and have the potential to create a threat to the public health, safety and well-being within the town." There are deeper problems as well, as the pandemic has fueled an exodus to scenic, rural locals and lit a fire under the housing and rental markets. In Lake Placid, this has spun residential housing into rentals and led to concerns that the community fabric will be fractured. Schroon board members said, however, that they still have breathing room to spend a year educating the public about the law and performing mandatory initial property inspections. "The inspection is very cursory, it's not going to take a long time," said Board Member Roger Friedman. But with 70 or 80 inspections to do, time to do them this year was running out. The board said it will also make provisions for inspections and enforcement during October budget deliberations, determining whether it can be done in-house or will require additional part-time staff. Residents will be apprised of the new requirements in the December mailing of their tax bills and will have a full year to comply. Along with safety inspections, the law establishes quiet hours between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., and sets requirements for parking and occupancy, septic pumping and garbage pick-up. Renters must have insurance and provide contact numbers to neighbors, putting them in touch with someone who can handle any complaint within an hour. Subra said, however, he does not believe the town will be able to enforce quiet hours on STLs if the same law doesn't apply to the community at large. But the majority did not see this as reason to abandon the law, Arguing against tabling the bill, Gero said the plan has been thoroughly vetted. "We've spent a lot of time and a lot of money on this," he said. "We've amended, shortened and condensed and consulted with our attorney many times."

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Schroon approves, defers, short-term rental law

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