Short-Term Rental regulations in Rural Fayette County
The Rural Land Management Board (RLMB) is moving forward on drafting its own recommended language for how ADUs and short-term rentals (STRs) will be regulated outside of the Urban Service Area. Members met with Planning Staff on September 20th to discuss some of the new or changing policies being introduced, and talked about addressing the needs of residents in rural areas.
Through their research, members of the RLMB found over 300 STR listings in the Rural Service Area. Compared to the entirety of Fayette County, average rental rates for these rural STRs properties were over $100 higher per night than other rentals or hotel rooms.
It is very common to have multiple houses or Farm Employee Dwelling Units on large tracts of agricultural land, and the Board does not want any new policies to interfere or have unintended negative consequences with housing for farm tenants.
There were also discussions and concerns around:
Sewer and septic capacity in the rural areas
Impacts on the horse industry
Allowing new construction specifically for STR usage
This Rural Land Management Board subcommittee will continue to iron out regulation language at their next meeting on October 3rd. Their meetings are held via zoom and are also livestreamed on LexTV.
Also in Rental Issues: ADU Presentation to General Government and Planning
In the General Government & Planning Committee meeting on September 19th, Planning Staff presented proposed changes to Lexington’s policy on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). The changes proposed by the Division of Planning seek to make ADUs easier to develop — you can read the proposed changes here. No action was taken on this item, but the Planning Commission is scheduled to vote on these changes in October.
