OCEAN CITY, Md. - With nearly 9,000 short-term rentals in Ocean City, town officials are considering new rules to manage their impact on residential neighborhoods. The Ocean City Planning and Zoning Commission will decide Tuesday whether to recommend updated regulations for R-1 (single-family residential) and MH (mobile home) zones to the City Council.
Key proposed changes include limiting the number of occupants in short-term rentals and requiring a minimum stay of 5 to 7 days. Officials say the rules aim to preserve the character of residential areas.
For local residents like Lizzie James, who regularly walks her dog Rufus through Ocean City, the proposed minimum stay raises mixed feelings.
"People staying here longer is great in the sense that they can experience more," James said. "But I think that also has a catch-22, because if you stay here longer, you have to ration out your vacation bonds and might spend less with small businesses."
Ocean City Manager Terry McGean emphasized that the proposed regulations target only R-1 and MH zones, which include 377 of the town's rental properties.
"The benefits here, again, are trying to preserve those neighborhoods as what they were always intended to be, which are residential areas," McGean told CoastTV.
The commission has already collected public input and is expected to make its recommendation at Tuesday night's meeting.