UPDATE: Henderson City Council unanimously approved an ordinance on Monday allowing short-term rentals in the downtown area.
ORIGINAL STORY
Henderson City Council will consider an ordinance Monday expanding short-term rentals, like Airbnb, into the downtown area around Water Street.
City Council allowed short-term rentals in Henderson's residential areas in July with wide-ranging regulations managing the market, but because of the Downtown Master Plan, the council avoided including downtown in the rental ordinance.
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"In this case, a Downtown Master Plan was established to allow more flexibility for development downtown," said Community Development Director Michael Tassi. "It was just its own separate code."
Wyndom Kimisey, owner of two businesses along Water Street, said he already has plans to rent a garage apartment in a new development beside Public Works Coffee Bar.
"To be able to use that area for an Airbnb would be awesome," he said.
Downtown short-term rentals would be subject to the same regulations as those in residential areas, including an $820 annual registration fee, no big celebrations, limits on the length of a renter's stay, and a complaint response team on call 24/7 to address any violations.
"It just made more sense to establish more clear rules to deal with some of the nuisance issues," Tassi said.
Henderson City Council will take a final vote on the rental expansion at their regular City Council Meeting Monday evening.
