Ann Arbor OKs exceptions for Airbnb houses in hopes of avoiding lawsuit fight
Updated May 07, 2021;
Posted May 07, 2021
Prentice Partners of Ann Arbor built this six-bed house at 1505 White St. that’s a dedicated Airbnb house. Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News
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ANN ARBOR, MI More than 140 short-term rental properties in Ann Arbor’s residential neighborhoods may keep operating under new regulations finalized this week.
City Council voted 7-4 along factional lines to OK new rules with exceptions allowing existing short-term rentals like dedicated Airbnb houses to remain in neighborhoods.
The previous council voted last September to ban them effective March 1, but Mayor Christopher Taylor and his allies, who regained control of council in November, now are allowing existing operators to continue in hopes of avoiding a lawsuit fight they think the city would lose.
Ann Arbor adopts 9 ‘behavioral norms’ for council members to follow
Updated May 08, 2021;
Posted May 07, 2021
Council Member Julie Grand, D-3rd Ward, speaks about new rules for governing Ann Arbor City Council members conduct, suggesting they can disagree on issues without putting forward conspiracy theories about each other s motives.CTN
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In a 9-2 vote, council adopted a new set of nine “behavioral norms” that council members are asked to follow:
Work with other council members to establish effective policies.
Encourage the free expression of opinion on policy issues by all council members.
Use the same care and caution when using electronic media as would be exercised when speaking face-to-face or through written memorandum.
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Ann Arbor mayor urges council to cut losses on short-term rentals and move on
Updated 2:58 PM;
Today 2:43 PM
A short-term rental house in an Ann Arbor residential neighborhood on March 3, 2021.Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News
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ANN ARBOR, MI Ann Arbor officials are still divided on whether to allow dedicated short-term rental properties such as Airbnb houses in residential neighborhoods.
City Council gave initial approval to allow existing ones to continue while maintaining a ban on new ones in a pair of 7-4 votes Monday night, April 5.
The regulations await final approval May 3 and they could grant “legal non-conforming status” to 120 or more short-term rental properties in residential areas.
‘Toxic political tornado’ debate over Ann Arbor council rules continues
Updated Mar 11, 2021;
Posted Mar 11, 2021
City Attorney Stephen Postema discusses matters related to new council rules at the Ann Arbor City Council meeting March 1, 2021. The ACLU argues the rules violate free speech rights.CTN
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ANN ARBOR, MI Ann Arbor City Council members have said they want to end personal attacks between each other.
But new council rules aimed at doing so have been the subject of debate for several weeks now.
As the controversy continued this week, one official summed it up as a “toxic political tornado.”
“I got involved in this with good intentions and I thought it was going to simplify some things, but I feel like it’s snowballed into some kind of toxic political tornado,” Council Member Kathy Griswold, D-2nd Ward, said of rules she and a majority of council OK’d to outline potential consequences for personal attacks and a process for redress of gri