Worcester Business Journal

www.wbjournal.com July 18, 2016 • Worcester Business Journal 11 Business Business Women In 2009 Business Women In 2009 Business Women In Outstanding Business Women In Outstanding W O R C E S T E R B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L' S For sponsorship and advertising opportunities in this special issue, contact your account manager or Mark Murray at mmurray@wbjournal.com or 508-755-8004 ext. 227. Women in Central Massachusetts play a critical role in the regional economy as business owners and executives. This fall, the Worcester Business Journal will once again recognize the achievements of a select group of strong, talented and remarkable women who are making their mark on the Central Massachusetts business community. Here is your chance to nominate a deserving business woman that you know, and have her accomplishments recognized and celebrated! Submit a nomination today! CALL FOR NOMINATIONS! NOMINATION DEADLINE: August 5, 2016 To submit your nomination visit www.wbjournal.com/womeninbusiness Supporting Sponsors Presenting Sponsors Current ordinances These would be the first ordinances specifically geared towards short-term rentals, Wilson said. Under current city ordinances, renting your home is allowed by right in any district, only being restricted by the boarding house ordinance that limits the number of unrelated occupants of a by-right rental building to no more than three people. The city had been attempting to regu- late Airbnb rentals the same as a bed and breakfast. However, a judge has rejected that view in a Worcester Housing Court case regarding a property on Zenith Drive, which prompted the recent request for regulation. So now the city is left with an entirely new kind of renting to regulate that cannot rely on current ordinances and is going through a pro- cess of examining all the rental ordi- nances in the city. Local impact Although Airbnb has been in opera- tion since 2008 and in Worcester for the last few years, the first complaint was received this year from neighbors who had been disturbed by knocks at their door and increased traffic in the neigh- borhood. City Councilor Rosen is the representative of those neighbors and the councilor that drafted up the initial proposed language. While currently allowed, these Airbnb rentals are fundamentally different than renting for a month or a year, said Rosen. "Having someone rent for a long-term must be different than different folks coming through," he said. "To me, this is a commercial venture. I think it's hard to argue with that. It's a money maker." Rosen spearheaded the effort as it fell within his representation area, but he intended the order to begin the discus- sion, not be a guide to the final ordi- nance that the city manager will present to the council. Ultimately, though, Rosen sees allow- ing Airbnb as a slippery slope of letting businesses enter into residential zones, eschewing the zoning that has been put in place. However, Worcester resident Katie O'Connor said as well intentioned as the conversation-starter may have been, it misses the point of Airbnb. When she rented a room in her two-bedroom apartment out on the service, she not only found great demand, but people who preferred being located in a resi- dential neighborhood or in a part of the city away from hotels. One couple who stayed with O'Connor were visiting their grandchild at Clark University, right down the road from O'Connor's Airbnb apartment, and they found it refreshing to be able to stay at a residential, affordable location within walking distance of the school, she said, as previously they had needed to stay in Auburn "To say you can only do this in a com- mercial area, that is kind of defeating the purpose," said O'Connor."The point is that it is in all these areas that don't have hotels." n how parking fits into the city's overall economic development plans and how it services its businesses and residents, according to the WRRB report. "We saw efforts to link parking to destinations through digital signage, walkable streets, improved intersec- tions, and an enhanced public realm as essential to improving the marketabili- ty and utility of poor-performing facil- ities like Union Station Garage," McGourthy said. While the city council moved to implement much of the recommenda- tions in the 2013 report, governance functions, especially related to the authority of the Off Street Parking Board (OSPB), can only be changed by the state legislature, as the original laws which created the OSPB date from the mid-1950s, so the city council would have to request those changes. Councilor Konnie Lukes, chairper- son of the city's Standing Committee on Traffic & Parking, said she isn't ready to approve creation of a separate parking division, since the report didn't look at issues impacting parking like transit and increased sidewalk space. "This report is just a snapshot of the current existing parking data, which will see fast moving changes in the next five years." Luke said. "Suggestion for a new committee is shortsighted." n After Pearl-Elm, the city parking garage most in need of repair is the Major Taylor garage, which has an estimated $3.7 million in improvements. P H O T O / M A T T W R I G H T

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