Metro Council member Tara Wicker will ask the Metro Council to approve a resolution authorizing the Planning Commission, with help from the Federation of Greater Baton Rouge Civic Associations, to study the issue of short term rentals in Baton Rouge.
Wicker’s planned move comes on the heels of a meeting last Thursday, at which representatives from nearly a dozen stakeholder groups came together to discuss the issue.
Many, including those representing the Historic Spanish Town Civic Association, are concerned about the growing number of whole-house rentals in Baton Rouge, which they say damage the local character of neighborhoods, eat up limited parking spaces and cause real estate speculation that drives up housing prices.
Earlier this year, Wicker proposed a draft ordinance that would have limited the number of short term rentals in Spanish Town only but did not address the issue of whole-house rentals or establish parameters for regulating them elsewhere in the parish.
At Thursday’s meeting, Wicker released a revised version of the ordinance. But after hearing concerns from those in attendance, she says she decided it would make more sense to take a more comprehensive look at the issue and involve neighborhood civic associations in the planning process.
“The federation represents some 75 neighborhood associations throughout the parish so because they already have a history of bringing people together we thought it would be good to involve them and let everyone know they were at the table.”
Federal President Nancy Curry says it’s too soon to say exactly how the federation will coordinate with the Planning Commission and what the framework for studying the issue will be. But Wicker expects the process to take several months.
She plans to introduce the resolution to the council in the coming weeks and expects a study to take five or six months to complete.
