Pullman accepting feedback on rental rules

PULLMAN — The city of Pullman is taking feedback on its plans to establish restrictions for short-term rentals like airbnbs.

Ariel Medeiros, Pullman assistant planner, said the overhaul is part of a larger effort to update the city’s zoning code, which was last significantly updated in 2003.

The city’s planning commission expects to make a recommendation to the Pullman City Council in late August.

Commissioners will present the updated code, which Medeiros said includes easily understood language and the rearrangement and addition of new codes for short-term rentals and accessory dwelling units.

Medeiros said around 100 such rentals are available in town at any given time, though only a few are operating within the permitted code.

She added it’s difficult to know the exact number of rentals as they’re promoted on many platforms, like Bedfinder, Airbnb, Vrbo, Facebook, Craigslist and others.

In the current code, rentals fall under the bed and breakfast or boarding and rooming houses section, which are not allowable within Pullman’s R1 and R2 districts, according to documents provided on the city’s website. People in the R2 district are required to obtain a conditional use permit.

Changes to the code would allow short-term rentals in all residential zones and wouldn’t need to go through the conditional use process, according to the documents.

“We’re trying to make it easier to have these rentals,” Medeiros said.

Short-term rentals would be allowable in single-family homes, duplexes or accessory dwelling units. But only one rental would be permissible on a single parcel. If a property has an accessory dwelling unit, it can only be rented, according to the documents.

The changes would allow accessory dwelling units to be constructed on any lot with a single-family home or duplex. Units must be between 200 and 900 square feet.

The owner is required to apply for a building permit to construct a dwelling unit, and the primary residence must be occupied for at least six months of the year, according to the document.

Short-term rental permits would include a $350 initial application fee and cost $150 to be renewed annually. Applicants are required to provide a plot plan and floor plan displaying evacuation routes.

They are also required to inform the city what websites the rental will be advertised on, and they must include a city-approved short-term rental endorsement permit number to prove it’s legal, according to the documents.

Applicants will need a business license through the Washington State Department of Revenue. The short-term rental application includes a 10-day public comment period, and a review by the city’s hearing examiner if many oppose the plans, according to the documents.

Owners must verify lodging and that business and other taxes have been paid for the rental’s operation, according to the documents.

The rental’s occupancy is limited to 10 people. The property manager is required to be within a 30-minute drive of the property, according to the documents.

The owner’s contact information must be provided to the city and to neighbors within 200 feet of the rental. The property must pass an inspection to ensure it complies with all city regulations, and is subject to repeat inspections annually, according to the documents.

A notice of violation may be handed to the owner. The first two within a year lead to a written warning, while a third invokes revocation of the rental endorsement, according to the documents.

Medeiros said the changes will not impact housing prices or the market directly. She added many people are renting out spaces they already own, and the city hasn’t seen many people buying up properties to turn into short-term rentals.

A formal public hearing for the proposed code changes is scheduled at City Hall at 7 p.m. on Aug. 28, when the community can submit verbal comments. Until then, the city is accepting written feedback that may be emailed to Medeiros at Ariel.medeiros@pullman-wa.gov.

She said the commission will review the draft proposals during workshops at City Hall at 7 p.m. on June 26 and July 24. The public meetings will include a public comment period prior to the formal public hearing in August.

View the proposed code by visiting https://www.pullman-wa.gov/news_detail_T18_R131.php

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com