It seems that short-term rentals (STRs) are on peoples’ minds in Leelanau County. Suttons Bay Village recently signed a contract for a third party to monitor STR listings and operate a 24/7 hotline for complaints; Elmwood Township directed its planning commission to use an overlay district or zoning amendments to remove STRs from “Greilickville neighborhoods”; and Suttons Bay and Bingham townships are updating their STR ordinances and introducing “good neighbor” policies.
I kicked off my journalism career in mid-2021 when many local governments had started pushing back on STRs in earnest. I quickly became familiar with some of the problems with STRs at town hall meetings in Michigan and Wisconsin. Too many homes were being taken off the market and converted into STRs, and the lack of available housing negatively affected local businesses.
Elected officials sometimes learned that local STR owners were operating without proper licenses, leasing to the same renters beyond the “short term,” or allowing more occupants than the septic system could support. And, of course, neighbors would complain about the out-of-towners making too much noise or blocking the street with their parked cars.
