By Kim Lewicki, Highlands Newspaper The short-term rental issue was brought to the forefront on Jan. 19 when Cathy Henson, president of the Highlands Neighborhood Coalition, spoke during the public comment period. Except for the […]
The Town’s Planning & Development Director is implementing the provisions of the newly adopted Short-Term Rental Ordinance. The Town Board approved the ordinance on September 15, 2022. Since then, several questions have arisen about the […]
At the September Town Board meeting, much to everyone’s surprise, the amortization of existing STRs in R1 and R2 was no longer on the table. The ordinance passed 4-1 with Commissioner Marc Hehn the dissenting […]
Tonight is the September Highlands Board of Commissioners meeting. It will begin at 7 pm at the Highlands Community Center next to the ball field. Public comment is the first item on the agenda. The […]
People lined the walls at a Public Hearing on Aug. 25 to voice their opinion on the proposed short-term rental policy amendments. Proposed Town amendments: Option 1: One proposal disallows STRs in R1 and R2 […]
Aug. 31 marked one year the Town of Highlands has been navigating its short-term rental ordinance and the fallout from its Aug. 24, 2021 decision to prohibit STRs in the R1 zoning districts effective Jan. […]
Proposed ordinances for Short-term Rentals as well as legal ramifications of pursuing those proposals were briefly discussed at last Thursday’s Town Board meeting. Amendments to the Planning Board’s original STR ordinance, which was the subject […]
At the board meeting last week, I did a rather long mayor’s report concerning initiatives I want the board address in future meetings. Let me briefly review several of these items. First, the master sidewalk […]
At Tuesday night’s special Planning Board meeting, the board put the finishing touches on the proposed ordinance it hammered out on Aug. 2 with a vote of 4-1. Member Wendall Willard again dissented. The gist: […]
In a surprise move last Tuesday, the 5-member Planning Board voted unanimously to not recommend the two proposed STR-related ordinances presented by the Town Board. Instead, in a 4-1 vote, members agreed to tweak their […]
I have complied with the Save Highlands attorney’s public document request. All my emails concerning STRs have been sent to Derek Allen. There may be a few I have overlooked or missed, but I have made […]
The community building was packed Monday night to hear the Planning Board’s recommendation on the town’s two short-term rental ordinance amendments. But it looks like that could be a long time coming – board members […]
Two versions of the amended Unified Development Ordinance as it pertains to Short-term Rentals were briefly discussed at the Special Meeting Thursday, July 14, prior to them being submitted to the Planning Board. The Planning […]
My call for stakeholders to propose compromises concerning STRs underscores the community stalemate on this combative issue. I asked stakeholders to publicly put forth any proposed compromise. I wanted the community to see if there […]
In a special meeting June 30, the Highlands Town Board passed the Highlands Comprehensive Community Plan in a 4 to 1 vote. Under state mandate municipalities with zoning had to approve a Comp Plan by […]