County resident Todd Ruelle agreed with Richmond and told the board that instead of creating more rules for short-term rentals, they should be examining “bedroom communities” where, through collaboration with other counties, more housing could be built in towns like Alma, Fairplay and Leadville.
“This is spiraling fast and the argument is going to become, ‘Hey, what are you going to do to compensate us for the property you’re infringing upon,’” Ruelle said. “You have to take that into consideration. You’re imposing rules and regulations that take away financial compensation, all in … trying to solve the issue of employee housing.”
Ruelle said the county needed to look at a “tri-county solution” and said he believed that just because someone works in Summit County doesn’t mean they have the right to live here.
“You live with what you can afford,” Ruelle said. “People in Washington, D.C., live in Maryland and Virginia and as far out as West Virginia, but this is what the commissioners should be focused on, not dividing a community by taking away property rights that literally have been exercised over the last 50 years or more.”
Even still, the board approved the code amendments and told audience members that they’d continue to examine various issues and components of the new rules throughout the next year.
This entire short term rental cap thing is out of control. The county and the towns in Summit County are taking away peoples ability to make a living without due compensation. And they think this will solve the housing problem for workers in Summit County. It will not.
