Lake Ozark P&Z To Look At Expanding Short Term Rental Codes Wednesday

The question of whether to expand the short term rental code in The City of Lake Ozark will be on the agenda at Wednesday’s Planning and Zoning Committee meeting.

Assistant City Administrator Harrison Fry explains what the issue amounts to…

“For those who are maybe uninitiated into the Planning and Zoning for Lake Ozark, Short Term rentals are considered to be anything with a guest staying for a period of less than a month, around 30 days. Some people would rent out their structure to be a an air b&b or a vrbo. And that would fit that definition. Currently within the city limits, we restrict that based on the zoning district….so they would be permitted in our multi-family R3 condo/apt districts, our commercial districts downtown on the strip and our C-1 commercial on the Lakefront districts. But, they are not currently permitted in the single family and the 2-family districts….the R1 and R2. So the board of alderman has requested that the planning and zoning commission review the particular regulation, that restriction….so this Wednesday night the P&Z will be reviewing some draft language that may allow it to open up city wide.”

Fry says the review of the current code stems from recent developments in the marketplace, as some property owners want to offer short term rentals through platforms like “Air B&B” – which would also increase lodging tax revenue to the city.

However other property owners are opposed to giving their neighbors that opportunity…

“The board of alderman, this was brought to their attention after the citizens transportation advisory committee that’s been in place now 5 or 6 months at this point….is researching new ways to bring in revenue for the city to tackle some projects and one of the items they said, if this regulation is amended….that could possibly assist with the improvements we are desiring. The short term rental in Lake Ozark has been gowning and changing in the last couple of years as the post-covid boom to the Lake area, has really got people looking at different ways to use their property…and some folks too are coming here to avoid things like that, so there is folks on either side of the issue that want to make sure the city will find a happy middle ground.”

That P & Z Committee meeting is set for 5 o’clock Wednesday evening at City Hall in Lake Ozark.