Midway City councilmembers approved nightly rental permits for three properties during a meeting Tuesday, Oct. 6.
The three homes stand in a row on 100 South, a block from Midway’s Main Street. The properties fall within the city’s Transient Rental Overlay District (TROD), the only area in the city where nightly rental properties are allowed.
However, the properties are not within the Resort Zone, so owners need a conditional use permit before renting on a short-term basis, which is 30 days or less.
Neighbors opposed the approvals, including John Clarkson, who worries about traffic congestion.
“Since the 2022 TROD expansion, nearby businesses activity has increased parking and circulation pressures, especially on weekends,” he said. “Drivers search for parking, make mid-block U-turns, and use private driveways.”
Neighbors Linda Weinstein and David Paskowski voiced similar concerns. Weinstein said she’s seen close calls between pedestrians and vehicles.
Paskowski also said short-term rentals affect Midway’s charm.
“Allowing these three homes to become nightly rentals would further change the character of the place that I've called home for 12 years,” he said. “It saddens me to feel that tourism is being given more consideration than the people who live here.”
But city community development director Michael Henke said the applications align with local ordinances. That means the council can only deny the permits in extreme circumstances, like major safety issues that can't be remedied.
Still, Henke said the city will ensure property owners follow the rules. Short-term rentals are allowed to have two vehicles outside and two people per bedroom, plus two.
“Let's say there is a violation,” he said. “We will send a letter to the property owner saying, ‘Hey, there was a violation on your property. This is one strike.’ Let's say that happens again. We'll send out another letter, and they would lose that license.”
The three homes are part of the overlay district modified last month, so Henke said homeowners could not reapply for a nightly rental permit after losing it.
