Ephrata council approves AirBnB rules

EPHRATA — AirBnB is coming to Ephrata.

Legally, this time.

On Wednesday, the Ephrata City Council unanimously approved a series of amendments to its zoning code allowing residents to have short-term rentals like AirBnB in their homes.

According to Community Development Director Ron Sell, the new regulations would allow residents to lease out two additional guest-rooms in any owner-occupied house for up to 30 days, and would set the maximum occupancy of a house that is leased in part or in full at 10 people, including the owner.

Under the regulations, proprietors of a short-term rentals would need a business license, and would have to pay all applicable taxes.

The matter came to the city’s attention early last year when Justin Kooy, elected to the council last November, was cited by the city for being an AirBnB host.

The city council also heard concerns from residents about traffic at the intersection of C Street Northwest and Third Avenue, not far from Grant Elementary School and Ephrata High School.

“I’m scared to death,” said Donna Nelson, a mother of five who lives near the intersection. “I have multiple kids who have had to dodge traffic, a daughter who had to dodge three cars, to cross the street.”

The city commissioned a traffic study late last year and found the traffic on that portion of C Street is heavier and moves faster than the city average, especially around 3 p.m., when the high school gets out.

“A lot of the traffic is high school,” said City Administrator Wes Crago. “We’ve got enough to know there’s high traffic and high speed.”

However, the city says its options to slow down the traffic on C Street Northwest, such as creating a traffic circle or installing stop signs, were limited by money or would simply be ignored as “white noise.”

“Whatever we do must be effective and not have negative consequences,” said council member Matt Moore. “I’m not opposed to doing something. If it isn’t effective to do that, we should take it into consideration.

Crago said the city would continue to actively enforce speed limits and work with the school district to secure Safe Routes to School funding to improve

Nelson and her husband Randy were adamant, however, that the city do something. Even if it’s only marking crosswalks at the intersection.

“Kids’ lives are worth it,” she said. “It’s just paint. It’s unacceptable that’s just white noise.”

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com.