The Record · Vancouver Morning Wire

Your short-term rental rules just got clearer on Columbia Street

Your short-term rental rules just got a little clearer

It was a pretty quiet week down at City Hall, at least on paper. Sometimes the real story is in what *doesn't* happen, or who isn't there.

Let's talk about those short-term rentals, eh? On April 21st, a Special Council meeting unanimously approved a business licence application for a short-term rental at 1801-1788 Columbia Street. Councillors B. Montague, L. Zhou, and S. Orr all voted in favour. What's interesting is Councillor R. Bligh was absent for this vote, as well as for a significant Public Hearing on April 14th concerning a CD-1 text amendment for Canada Place and West Waterfront Road. Both items still carried.

It means the city continues its slow, methodical march towards formalizing what's happening on the ground. You see these towers popping up, beautiful glass reaching for the North Shore mountains, and the economics of it all create these grey areas. The City is trying to bring some order to the chaos, one licence at a time. It’s a bit like putting a band-aid on a dam, sometimes, but it’s something.

Beautiful out here. Complicated in here. That's the coast.

Kenji Nakashima (@westcoastweird_yvr)

The MiTL morning crew digs into what all this means for your daily commute and your rent cheque — find them at mornings.live.

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