Author: Park Township Neighbors

Do most people want a short term rental ban?

Post author By Park Township Neighbors
Post date October 30, 2023

Claim:

If the issue of short term rentals was on a ballot, then overwhelmingly, the residents of Park Township would vote it down.

Facts:

While there’s no way to know for sure without actually putting short term rentals on the ballot, this claim seems unlikely.

Why do we say that?

It’s simple. The input from residents township-wide strongly suggests otherwise. Multiple recent surveys show that the majority of Park Township residents do not want a short term rental ban.

88 of the comments listed in Park Township’s Master Plan survey results related to the short term rental ban, with at least 80 responses directly mentioning short term rentals. 55% were in favor of short term rentals, 19% were neutral or unclear, and only 26% against.
In an independent, township-wide survey conducted this past summer, 58% of respondents opposed the Board’s decision to ban residential property owners from renting out their property as vacation rentals for short-term stays.
When the township asked Ottawa Beach neighborhood residents, “Restrict short-term rentals?” 70% said no, do not restrict them.

News

Diving into short term rental-related survey results

Post author By Park Township Neighbors
Post date October 25, 2023

Within the past five years, 3 surveys have been conducted that offered insights related to short term rentals.

Two were done by the township, and one was done by the Realtors associations. All three had similar results regarding short term rentals.

Details on those surveys are below, with the most recent surveys listed first. Keep in mind that the two most recent surveys were conducted after:

a significant number of negative comments were posted on social media (in many cases from a former Michigan resident) regarding short term rental owners
the township began announcing in meetings and in the press that short term rentals have “been illegal since 1974”. (See have short term rentals always been illegal for details on that.)

It’s natural for people to be upset if they think people have been getting away with something illegal, so those activities may have biased opinions against short term rentals before those surveys took place.

Now on to information about the surveys.

News

PTN learns lawsuit will not be resolved by early settlement

Post author By Park Township Neighbors
Post date October 17, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Yesterday, Park Township Neighbors (PTN) learned that the lawsuit filed against Park Township will not be resolved by an early settlement, thus requiring taxpayer money to defend the lawsuit.

PTN would like to see the long history of visitors staying in our beautiful lakeshore community continue. The previous, small number of vacation rental homes made up around 3% of available housing.

Fact Checks

Do complaints about short term rentals show a huge problem?

Post author By Park Township Neighbors
Post date October 8, 2023

Claim:

Short term rentals in Park Township are a huge problem.

Complaints were said to be filled with noise violations and other disturbances in 2020 and 2021.

“This is a huge issue. I think as time goes on it just becomes bigger and bigger.” – Jim Gerard, Park Township Supervisor, in the Feb. 12, 2022 Board of Trustees meeting.

Facts:

The facts show that there were not a huge number of complaints filed against short term rentals, and that they do not show a huge problem.

News

Park Township Neighbors asks court for relief on short term rental ban

Post author By Park Township Neighbors
Post date October 6, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Park Township Neighbors (PTN) has filed a lawsuit against Park Township to ask the court for relief on the township’s short term rental ban.

PTN spent many months trying to avoid a lawsuit, working to find a win-win solution instead. After the Park Township Board of Trustees proved unwilling to compromise or to allow PTN to present at a board meeting, PTN turned to the court for help.

For nearly 50 years, Park Township had repeatedly and expressly permitted the use of single-family dwellings for short-term rentals throughout the township, which has long been a tourist destination. PTN would like that use to continue, in a respectful manner.

Fact Checks

Who really owns short term rentals in Park Township?

Post author By Park Township Neighbors
Post date October 4, 2023

Claim:

Short term rentals are largely owned by out of state people and corporations.

Facts:

According to data provided to PTN by Park Township through a July 2023 FOIA request, short term rentals are largely owned by Michiganders.

41.5% are owned by Park Township residents
54% are owned by greater Holland residents
68% are owned by West Michigan residents
75% are owned by Michigan residents

In other words, over half of the short term rentals in Park Township are owned by hyper-local residents of greater Holland. And 41.5% of the vacation rental owners live directly in Park Township itself. Sometimes right next door to their rental! (Or to someone else’s.)

3 out of 4 vacation rentals here are owned by Michigan families and property owners. This means that Michigan owners are disproportionately and negatively impacted by the township’s decision to create an outright ban rather than enforce reasonable regulations – most of which already exist in the current code.