Council calls for ‘listening session’ on short-term rentals

VRBOs, AirBnBs, ADUs — all the abbreviations could make one think the concept of short-term rentals was created by government, but in Newberg it is government that is attempting to get a handle on the growing phenomenon in the community.

To that end, the Newberg City Council will hold a “listening session" at 7 p.m. Aug. 22 in the community room at the Public Safety Building, 401 E. Third St.

“Don't know what a short-term rental (STR) is?” the city posted on social media. “They're defined as any residential home or additional dwelling unit rented for a limited stay. Come to the meeting to learn more and provide your feedback on this topic.”

As an added incentive, the city will hold a drawing to win an Apple iPad at the event.

Will Worthey said that never before during his nearly three-year term as city manager has the local government held a listening session, although the city has staged a number of town hall meetings in the past.

Worthey added that the city’s ultimate goal in holding the session is gaining information.

“Opinions on adding or not adding STR regulations are mixed and as a debate item it comes up every few years,” he said. “The city really just wants to know what residents think on the issue.”

Private property owners feature dozens of short-term rentals in Newberg, some with several per city block, and that trend shows no sign of fading.

“While there was a pause during COVID there has been a steady flow of applications for STRs ever since at the rate of an application or two each month,” Worthey said.

The city estimates there are a minimum of 80 STRs within the city limits, although “we believe that there may be some operating without a business license so we can only approximate,” he said.

The call for the listening session came from the council as the seven-member body directed staff to “discern the will of the residents,” Worthey said. “I thought a listening session format would be best.”

The city manager added that the city has looked at how other municipalities are handling the issue, but that hasn’t necessarily provided a clear direction for Newberg.

“That’s part of the puzzle because other cities do a wide range of different things from nothing at all to location proximity rules and hard cap regulations,” Worthey said. “To explain further, some municipalities have regulations banning any STR within a set distance of another STR, while some have a maximum number threshold.”

For more information on the city’s listening session, visit bit.ly/newbergstrforum .

“Please attend the STR listening session and make your opinion known,” Worthey concluded.