SPRING LAKE, Mich. — During Monday night's council meeting, the Village of Spring Lake unanimously voted to ban new short-term rentals on Rex, Monarch and Dixie Streets. Officials approved an amendment to the short-term rental map.
"The planning commission requested that the village council take a look at our short-term rental overlay map, as well as our ordinance, because of essentially mounting concerns from the residents," Spring Lake Village Manager Brady Selner said.
Selner said that discussions about short-term rentals began in 2022 after continued complaints about rental users increasing use of street parking on the narrow roads.
"Village council is looking at it more from protecting the traditional neighborhoods and full-term residents without necessarily looking at the impacts from an economic standpoint of those that are renting their homes out on a short-term basis," Selner said.
There are more than 20 properties on the three affected streets. Six existing short-term rentals will be grandfathered in.
"Even if the property sells and the new owner continues the short-term rental use of that property. It can really exist in perpetuity," Selner said.
Vicki Vargo owns a long-term rental property in Spring Lake. She is not directly affected by the ban, but expressed concerns about the ruling.
"Our streets are one block that dead-end into Spring Lake. It's a very small, quaint neighborhood," Vargo said. "Spring Lake should be a tourist destination. It's on Spring Lake. It's right by Lake Michigan, but it isn't. Spring Lake Village Council is anti-tourism, anti-economic development, and it hurts the merchants."
Selner said that a zoning ordinance is a living and breathing document that could be changed in the future if needed.
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