Metro Councilwoman Tara Wicker says the parish attorney’s office is working out some final issues with her proposed parishwide short-term rental regulations, and once finished she’ll hold a last stakeholders meeting to ensure the proposal is “heading in the right direction.”
Tweaks to the drafted ordinance, which the parish attorney’s office has been working on since the spring, are expected to be completed in the next few weeks, though Wicker declines to speculate on a specific timeline, nor say when she would introduce the ordinance to the Metro Council.
Part of the hiccup is figuring out the legality of setting a percentage cap on short-term rentals for one neighborhood and a number cap for other neighborhoods. Wicker had originally considered setting a percentage cap for historic neighborhoods, but she’s heard complaints from larger neighborhoods who worry that doing so could allow a large number of short-term rentals to operate in their area.
The short-term rental issue, and Wicker’s approach to drafting regulations, has drawn complaints from some neighborhood groups, particularly in Spanish Town. Both sides, it would seem, have their points-of-view and, to date, have been unable to find a compromise.
Wicker and the parish attorney’s office have looked at ordinances other cities have passed, such as New Orleans, but at the end of the day, Wicker says the goal is to find the balance that’s “best for Baton Rouge.”
“We’re working to see that the quality and integrity of these neighborhoods are maintained while also providing reasonable accommodations for this growing industry,” Wicker says. “The two need a delicate balance that the city-parish as a whole can feel like we’re all successful in this, and no one group has been significantly compromised.”
