New ParagraphPlease see the update from Jeff Tuttle, President of Ashland Neighborhood Association.Update on the conditional use permit for un-hosted short-term rental (STR) at 1009 Fontaine Rd.

Several members asked about the outcome of the Board of Adjustment meeting Monday afternoon concerning the conditional use permit for an un-hosted STR at 1009 Fontaine Rd. The Board of Adjustment did grant the permit to the property owner.

The petition was the last permit discussed at the end of an eight hour meeting. I would like to thank our members, neighbors and advocates who attended the meeting and/or spoke on the presence of STRs in the Ashland neighborhood. Five neighbors from the ANA and APNA were present at the meeting and spoke on behalf of the neighborhood. Several more were present at the beginning of the meeting, but had to leave early due to the time.

The owner of 1009 Fontaine, Adam Parritz, joined the ANA and gave me permission to share his contact information in case there are problems or concerns with his Airbnb. He can be reached at adam.parritz@gmail.com or 651-503-5530. Adam lives close to Ashland on Transylvania Park and plans to visit the property regularly.

As a reminder, the city has a new hotline for complaints or concerns about STRs in the area. For non-emergency complaints about neighborhood STRs (parties, noise, illegal parking, etc.) please contact the city at 859-710-9048 or by clicking this link. You can upload photos or videos documenting the concerns through the online portal.

Lastly, as many of you are aware, the City Council has updated the ordinances relating to STRs in order to further control their numbers and locations in the city. These new regulations apply to un-hosted STRs and will go into effect tomorrow. The changes will allow the Board of Adjustment to deny permits if there is an existing rental within 600 feet or if 2% of the homes within 1,000 feet are STRs. They will also decrease the number of people in an STR from 12 to 10. Based on the locations of existing STRs in the Ashland neighborhood, there are few locations for new STRs that are further than 600 feet from an existing one.

As always, I can be reached at jptutt0@gmail.com or 859-576-6359.