10. ORDINANCE 23-2025 - AN ORDINANCE to take effect immediately provided it receives the affirmative vote of at least two thirds of the members of Council, or otherwise to take effect and be in force after the earliest period allowed by law, enacting new Section 783 Short Term Rentals and new Section 1161.03(cc) Short Term Rentals of the Lakewood Codified Ordinances.
Short term rentals should be banned within Lakewood. Short term rentals drive up housing costs and are a significant contribution to individuals and families being priced out of Lakewood. Additionally, if we are of the mindset that housing is a human right (I certainly hope we all are) it would stand to reason that keeping a home in Lakewood partially or entirely for the purposes of short term rentals in order to make a profit is antithetical to helping all people be housed safely and comfortably. I know I will ruffle some feathers with this comment, but no one should own multiple homes until everyone is adequately housed. Housing should never be used with the sole intention of making profit.
In addition to the moral justification for banning STR in Lakewood, there is legal justification for implementing bans and/or restrictions. As the communication from Council members Bullock and Evans states, prior to the rise of AirBnB, bed and breakfasts were considered a conditional use throughout most of Lakewood. A hotel operator would require permits and approval of council and the administration to operate within the city. However, tech giants such as Uber, AirBnB, VRBO, DoorDash, and Amazon have created systems that seem to intentionally skirt any and all regulation/taxes/etc. while the local, state, and federal governments, acting on behalf of the people (allegedly) have to try to catch up. Please do everything you can to ban or severely restrict the operation of short term rentals such as VRBO and AirBnB within Lakewood.
Short term rentals should be banned within Lakewood. Short term rentals drive up housing costs and are a significant contribution to individuals and families being priced out of Lakewood. Additionally, if we are of the mindset that housing is a human right (I certainly hope we all are) it would stand to reason that keeping a home in Lakewood partially or entirely for the purposes of short term rentals in order to make a profit is antithetical to helping all people be housed safely and comfortably. I know I will ruffle some feathers with this comment, but no one should own multiple homes until everyone is adequately housed. Housing should never be used with the sole intention of making profit.
In addition to the moral justification for banning STR in Lakewood, there is legal justification for implementing bans and/or restrictions. As the communication from Council members Bullock and Evans states, prior to the rise of AirBnB, bed and breakfasts were considered a conditional use throughout most of Lakewood. A hotel operator would require permits and approval of council and the administration to operate within the city. However, tech giants such as Uber, AirBnB, VRBO, DoorDash, and Amazon have created systems that seem to intentionally skirt any and all regulation/taxes/etc. while the local, state, and federal governments, acting on behalf of the people (allegedly) have to try to catch up. Please do everything you can to ban or severely restrict the operation of short term rentals such as VRBO and AirBnB within Lakewood.