NEW PHILADELPHIA — City officials have been exploring ways to regulate Airbnbs in New Philadelphia for months, but that effort is on hold now that the Ohio General Assembly is considering legislation on the matter.
On Tuesday, the House Local Government Committee approved House Bill 563, which would make it harder for local governments to ban or restrict short-term rentals such as Airbnbs.
Supporters, including the bill’s sponsors Sarah Fowler Arthur, R-Rock Creek and Ron Ferguson, R-Wintersville, view these restrictions as a property rights issue. The Buckeye Institute said the legislation “empowers” owners and travelers to make financial decisions that are right for them.
Cities see the problem as a matter of local control. The Ohio Mayors Alliance, which represents 30 cities, said municipalities need leeway to manage short-term rentals, such as Airnnb or VRBO, that disrupt residential neighborhoods.
“I support private property rights first and foremost,” said State Rep. Brett Hillyer, R-Uhrichsville. “I will be reviewing the bill now that it has been formally passed by a committee to verify that it does not upset traditional rights to contract, to engage, or to HOAs (homeowners associations).”
New Philadelphia Chief Legal Officer Marvin Fete said Mayor Joel Day wanted him to look into the matter. Fete met with the city’s housing review board to review it.
But that work is now on hold due to the action in Columbus.
“It makes more sense for the state to step in and say, these will be the regulations for Airbnbs, the same way they do for hotels,” Fete said. “So I backed off on that.
“It looks like the state is going to regulate this, and I think that’s a much better approach, so it’s uniform across the state. We don’t have 30 different communities doing 30 different things.”
There are currently three Airbnbs in New Philadelphia.
The bill still needs to pass a vote in the House and be approved by the Ohio Senate.
The Columbus Dispatch contributed to this story.
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