What impact have short-term rentals like AirBnBs had on affordable housing in Decorah?

The Decorah City Council has been reviewing proposed regulations of short-term housing, such as AirBnBs, in Decorah. The new regulations will involve licensing, inspections and registrations—but they will not involve putting a cap on the number of such rental properties.

Members of the Planning & Zoning Commission discussed such a cap, but decided against it. City officials say there are between 50 to 60 AirBnB properties within the city limits. Overall, however, there are an estimated 2,300 housing units in the city. That means AirBnBs are only two or three percent of Decorah's housing stock.

There are even signs that AirBnBs may now have saturated the market, with owners saying it's taking longer to rent out units.

Several members of the Decorah City Council agree that a cap on the number of AirBnBs is not needed.  But city council member Andy Carlson says the community needs more affordable housing units; city council member Emily Neal says a number of her constituents have spoken to her about the issue; and city council member Ross Hadley, while agreeing a cap is not needed, states, "We need to do something else."