PARK TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A public hearing was held by the Park Township Zoning Board of Appeals on Monday, allowing debate on the township's short-term rental ban to return.
Currently, Park Township is enforcing a ban on short-term rentals in residential areas, following a November 2024 court decision that dismissed a lawsuit between the township and short-term rental owners.
READ MORE: A judge just dismissed the short-term rental suit in Park Township. Why?
In the sanctuary of Beechwood Church, an attorney representing short-term rental owners — many of whom sat behind him in the pews — presented his case to the board, claiming the Monday hearing was about "fifty years of precedent" in Park Township.
"We're not trying to rewrite history," attorney Kyle Konwinski said. "Your job as the [Zoning Board of Appeals] is to interpret the words of the ordinance, not to carry out policy. We're asking you to interpret what has always been the case."
Specifically, Konwinski claimed short-term rentals in operation prior to the enactment of Park Township's 2024 Zoning Ordinance, which banned STRs, ought to be able to seek grandfather status as, according to him, they were historically permitted by Park Township's 1974 Zoning Ordinance.
To this end, Konwinski shared official communications from past Park Township zoning administrators who, on a number of occasions, told residents that short-term rentals were permitted by the municipality.
"There are not any specific regulations pertaining to rentals, either long-term or nightly," said former zoning administrator Ed de Vries in an email.
"As you know, Park Township does not regulate vacation rentals," said Emma Posillico, another former zoning administrator for the township, in a memo.
Conversely, Park Township has said short-term rentals were never expressly allowed in the township as its 2024 Zoning Ordinance clarifies and reaffirms the "existing regulations" in its 1974 Zoning Ordinance.
During the public comment portion of the hearing, more than fifty residents of Park Township addressed the zoning board of appeals.
"I don’t think STRs are a problem, I think managing them are a problem," said a short-term rental owner who, prior to the ban, claimed he was told by township officials that short-term rentals were permitted.
"We’re not trying to run a business, we’re trying to preserve a family asset," added another short-term rental owner. "These are not party houses or investor-owned hotels. These are well-kept homes that serve a meaningful role in our community."
Still, a number of Park Township residents whose neighborhoods are populated by a rotating cast of vacationers say STRs are an unnecessary nuisance.
"You can talk to this neighbor, you can talk to this neighbor, but don’t talk to this neighbor because we don’t know them," said one man, recalling a conversation he had with his daughter about the short-term rental next door.
"I feel bad for the [STR owners] who bought properties and now don't know what to do," said another resident. "But the bottom line is I bought property, too, and I want it protected."
At the conclusion of the nearly four-hour meeting, the zoning board of appeals voted to postpone its deliberation and decision on the matter until April 21, 2025 at 5:00pm, when another public meeting will be held at an undetermined location.
If the board were to side with short-term rental owners, around 107 properties would be permitted to apply for nonconforming status, allowing them to potentially be grandfathered in, despite the ongoing ban.
On Monday, Park Township recommended the board reaffirm its own opinion that short-term rentals were not permitted by its 1974 Zoning Ordinance and that nonconforming status may only be granted to the properties in operation prior to that year.
