The City of Leavenworth is currently considering continuing and enforcing a ban on short-term/overnight rentals of homes in all residential zones and expanding this ban to all urban growth areas;
In addition, a coalition of Leavenworth Neighbors Unite have been very vocal and supportive of a total ban of short-term/overnight rentals and have voiced strong opposition to the promotion of tourism.
However, Leavenworth's successful tourism industry is a direct result of the promotion of itself as Washington's family-friendly Bavarian village. Tourism is our whole economy. Many families visiting the village want to experience it in a family environment offered by a single family home. Excluding that opportunity is completely inconsistent with our vision for our town.
The residential use of a home does not change because of the length of a stay (1 night, 30 nights or 365 nights, a rental is a rental), and reasonable regulations can govern the use of homes—whether used long-term or short-term, so that everyone can enjoy our beautiful town - both residents and visitors alike!
This petition urges the City of Leavenworth to End the Ban on Short-term/Overnight Rentals by amending the current code (with reasonable regulation) to allow vacation rentals in all residential areas in the city and the urban growth areas.
Our coalition urges you to support short-term/overnight rentals by signing this petition.
Dear Mayor and Leavenworth City Council,
This petition represents the opposition by tourists, homeowners and residents of Chelan County and the greater northwest to the current ban on short term rentals. The signers are tourists who spend lodging and retail dollars in Leavenworth and are homowners who invest in property in the City of Leavenworth and who pay property, sales and lodging taxes in the City as well as individuals who work in retail and lodging establishments, which jobs are a direct result of tourism. These signers support both tourism and private propery rights in the beautiful village of Leavenworth. We ask the City Council to reconsider its current direction of a total ban and instead opt for reasonable regulations that could be the basis of a solution for both residents and tourists alike.
