by Paul J. Sniadecki, Board Director
Many Riparian communities rely on local zoning to prevent vacation rentals from taking over lakefront neighborhoods and turning them into commercial housing areas. A bill introduced in Mid-January 2019 once again threatens locals’ authority to protect their communities. HB 4046, sponsored by Rep. Jason Sheppard (Bedford Twp.) and was referred to the House Local Government and Municipal Finance Committee. The bill is a reintroduction of legislation proposed in the previous legislative session to restrict local authority. If enacted, the bill would consider all vacation and short-term rentals to be residential uses, allowing them in all residential zones. It also specifies that such rentals of 28 days or less are not subject to a special use or conditional use, nor can they face a procedure that is different from those required for any other dwelling in the same zone. HB 4046 does not prohibit local regulations on noise, advertising, traffic and other conditions.
The Michigan Township Association does not support this bill.