Public hearing set for proposed short-term rental rules

Proposed changes to Laketown Township’s short-term rental zoning ordinance are set for a formal public hearing at the April 1 planning commission meeting.

The new rules would eliminate new stand-alone short-term rentals in almost all zoning districts and only permit short-term rentals on owner-occupied properties and in Mixed Use zoning areas.

The planning commission still needs to work on specific regulations and enforcement rules.

If the planning commission votes to approve the ordinance changes after the public hearing, the proposal moves to the board of trustees who could approve it, reject it or send it back to the planning commission for more work.

The planning commission meets at 6:30 p.m. April 1 at the township hall, 4338 Beeline Road.

Proposed changes

The proposal deals with the zoning ordinance only, that is, the basic guidelines that define short-term rentals and where they will be allowed. More specific regulations, such as noise and parking, and enforcement, including possible ticketing and fines, will be determined after the zoning is approved.

The proposal limits short-term rentals in residential zoning districts R-1, R-1.5, R-2 and R-3 to attached accessory dwelling units and detached accessory dwelling units only.  No free-standing short-term rentals are permitted.  Short-term rentals would be eliminated from Agricultural zones which do not have a provision for accessory dwelling units.

Free-standing rentals are homes where the owner does not reside but are used solely for short-term renters.

Places where the homeowner does not live on site have the most problems and generate the most complaints, according to the township.

An attached accessory dwelling unit is a room or set of rooms in a single-family dwelling that has been designed or configured to be used as a separate dwelling unit and is subordinate in size to the principal dwelling unit on the same lot. The owner lives in the house.

A detached accessory dwelling unit is a room or set of rooms in a separate building that has been configured to be used as a separate dwelling unit and is subordinate in size to the principal dwelling unit on the same lot. They generally include living, sleeping, kitchen, and bathroom facilities and have a lockable entrance door. The owner lives in the main house on the lot.

An accessory dwelling unit, whether attached or detached, must have approval from the planning commission as a special use, regardless if the unit is to be used as a rental. 

The proposal reduces the number of occupants in a short-term rental from the current 16 people to 10 people.

Free-standing short-term rentals would still be permitted in Mixed Use zoning, located along Blue Star Highway. The Mixed Use district is intended for a wide range of retail, office, industrial, institutional, multifamily residential, single family residential, recreation, and open space uses.

Any registered stand-alone short-term rentals in existence when new rules pass are allowed to remain operational.

At the March 4 meeting, planning commissioners discussed the possibility of creating an overlay district in Macatawa Park and Goshorn Lake where short-term rentals have been a tradition for sometimes more than a century.

An overlay district could contain additional, or different, regulations that apply within the overlay district shown on the zoning map, according to an article by Michigan State University.

Planning commissioners decided not to further discuss an overlay district due to time limits related to the short-term rental moratorium.

Moratorium

The township put a hold on stand-alone short-term rentals in May 2025. It expires on June 30, 2026.

A special joint committee made up of the entire township board and planning commission met four times starting in August to gather information and collect public input about rentals. That special committee wrapped up its work and dissolved on Nov. 5, passing the responsibility for changes to the planning commission.

The public hearing

On April 1, the chairperson of the planning commission will call the public hearing to order and ask anyone in the meeting room to come to the podium, state their name and address and speak into the microphone for up to 3 minutes. After everyone in the room has spoken, the chairperson will then ask if anyone on Zoom would like to speak.

Those on Zoom should wave, unmute themselves or turn on their video. The chairperson will acknowledge you. State your name and address and speak for up to about 3 minutes.

All comments should be addressed to the chairperson only.

Email comments may be sent to office@laketowntwp.org, attention to the planning commission.

Written comments may be sent to Planning Commission, 4338 Beeline Road, Holland, MI 49423.

All correspondence must be received by 4 p.m. April 1 to be considered for the public hearing.