Following public comments at a recent town board public hearing, the proposed local laws regarding motel regulations have been revised with residents’ concerns in mind.
Town Board members heard from over half a dozen community members, ranging from motel and hotel owners to current residents of hotels, at the meeting on Thursday, Dec. 18. The public hearing was regarding new local laws that will redefine extended stay units and cut down on boarding facilities becoming substandard apartments.
Hotel and motel owners expressed concern of the laws’ regulations that limited guests’ stays to 14 consecutive days in a 60-unit or less boarding facility. The 14-day rule did not pertain to places that had an attached restaurant or a kitchenette with a sink, cook top or stove, and a refrigerator in the unit.Owners concerned
Hotel owners Peter Harvey and Rocky Cocca asked about the guests that might be traveling for business who need to stay for more than 14 days. Some of the guests, Cocca said, need to stay for a construction job that spans months, or a training program that lasts weeks. Creating laws that would prohibit these guests would cost the motels and hotels a significant amount of business.
Harvey said he did not understand why the town would limit such guests, as they also give business to the town.
“These people are putting money into the community,” he said at the Dec. 18 meeting.
Need photo ID
Now, guests who show photo identification that proves they have permanent residence other than the hotel or motel can stay for longer periods of time. At the board meeting on Thursday, Jan. 8, town attorney Michael Magguilli presented the revised laws, saying that the town wanted to be sure boarding facility owners were heard in the crafting of the laws.
That 14-day limit has also been revised. Within a 60-unit or smaller facility, a guest can no longer stay more than 28 consecutive days. However, the 60-day limit within a 180-day period is still in effect for people staying within one hotel or motel.
As well, another revised section of the law states that a person cannot check into the same or different room in the same boarding facility, or another facility owned by the same person. The law now states that if the owner adds any interest of five percent or more to the payments, the stay will still be considered a single occupancy in regards to the stated time restriction.
A boarding facility owner can also not accept money or other compensation, or charge a guest less than a full day’s rent. This would stop guests from renting a room for only a few hours, then checking out for a modified price. That person would be responsible for the room for one full day.
Any further comments or suggestions regarding the new laws are being accepted by Magguilli’s office until Thursday, Jan. 22. The next public hearing on the laws will be at the town board meeting on Thursday, Feb. 12.
