In 2019, Carlisle | Wortman Associates (CWA) assisted the City of Ann Arbor’s Planning Department with research and community engagement on short-term rentals. CWA designed and facilitated three (3) public input sessions to gauge the opinions of residents on short term rentals in the City.

Over 100 individuals participated in passionate and constructive discussions.
Participants fell into one of the four groups:

• Short-term rental owners of a property or multiple properties that are dedicated as short-term rentals year-round.

• Homeowners who offer their primary residence for short-term rental.

• Concerned neighborhood residents.

• Residents who use short-term rentals when traveling and would like to see it remain an option for visitors to the City.

There were two primary positions of those who attended: less regulations of short-term rentals and greater regulations of short-term rentals. Those who wanted less regulation shared that short-term rentals provide a viable option to visitors to the City, significant economic spin-off, and improves the housing stock through investments in properties. Those who wanted more regulations shared that short-term rentals cause a nuisance for surrounding homeowners and long-term renters, reduces the amount of affordable housing, and changes the character of the neighborhood, and allows for overcrowding.

The engagement process helped the City understand how people felt about short-term rentals in Ann Arbor, and the next steps to regulate them. Based on the research and community engagement by CWA, the City developed and adopted short-term rental regulation.