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DENVER LAUNCHES ONLINE LICENSING FOR SHORT-TERM RENTALS by Jacob Karp Denver residents operating short-term rentals (STRs) will have until Dec. 31 to become licensed by the city as part of ordinance 0262, which became effective on July 1. Defined as residential rentals of fewer than 30 days, STRs and their operators will be provided the rest of the year to become compliant with the city’s first online business license. A May 16 Colorado Public Radio story on the topic estimated there were 1,700 Airbnb units on offer in Denver at that time. Other leading STR providers VRBO and HomeAway also have strong Denver presences. Peer-to-peer transactions within the STR space allow individuals to rent a portion or the entirety of their home or property. According to Dan Rowland, Citywide Communications Advisor at City and County of Denver, as of Aug. 19 there were 26 STRs registered citywide. Rowland could not say how many licenses were in process, but said the city was granting new licenses daily. Stacie Loucks, executive director of Denver’s Excise & Licenses department, says her department’s goal from the beginning “has been to create a licensing structure that is easy to understand and reflects the tech-savvy nature of STR users. This new online application offers a simple and effective way for hosts to get licensed and be in compliance with the city’s new STR ordinance.” The license, which can be completed entirely online, is a first for the city, with Denver officials claiming it as the only one of its kind in the U.S. “This is the way of the future,” says Rowland. “There is a new proliferation of people doing peer-to-peer
08 KIT CARSON 16 CLOSED PER
DECLINING INMATE NUMBERS, SENTENCING REFORM
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A BICYCLIST LOOKS ON AT THE NEW BIKE LANE THAT RUNS IN BOTH DIRECTIONS DOWN BROADWAY. THE THOROUGHFARE
will help to alleviate congestion for both bicyclists and motorists as they travel along one of Denver’s busiest streets. Read more on page 9. Photo by Sara Hertwig transactions, with more customers looking for this and more hosts coming on board.” Councilwoman Mary Beth Susman noticed the trend towards these types of transactions in 2014 and began to study them, calling them “an orbital shift in the way we think about social and economic exchange.” She quickly realized a licensing process would need to be put in place to govern the legitimization, regulation and taxation of this movement, with a priority being placed on ensuring neighborhoods remain safe and functional. “We wanted to protect neighborhood safety,” says Susman. “This gives a sense of security to everyone involved.” Rowland agrees. “Having this process in place will
by Jennifer Turner After 18 years in operation, Kit Carson Correctional Center shuttered at the end of July. Located in Burlington, on Colorado’s eastern plains, the minimum security prison had a maximum of capacity of 1488 inmates. When it closed there were 400. The remaining inmates were transferred to two other facilities in Colorado also owned by Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), the private prison company that owns Kit Carson. A dwindling prison population due to drug sentencing reform and legislative and ballot initiatives in conjunction with the efforts of a growing chorus of prison reform advocates such as Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC) all contributed to the closure. According to their website, CCJRC, located in Lincoln Park,
help build trust between hosts and neighbors, providing peace of mind that there is a licensing process to keep people accountable.” The ordinance allows operators to rent their primary residence for less than 30 days at a time, with primary residence being defined as that on your driver’s license, voter registration or utility bills, or as Susman says, the “place you normally return to at the end of the day.” The primary residence piece is important according to Rowland, for “neighborhood protection and the preservation of residential character” in the hope of avoiding the creation of “hotel streets” throughout the city. continued on 18
“began in 1999 as the Colorado Prison Moratorium Coalition and was formed to support legislation sponsored by Senator Dorothy Rupert (D-Boulder) and Representative Penfield Tate (D-Denver) calling for a three-year moratorium on building prisons in Colorado.” “We have been incarcerating too many people for too long,” said Christie Donner, executive director and founder of CCJRC. “There are other strategies and investments that can be made to improve public safety. As the number of inmates decreases, it’s just a matter time before more facilities close. Kit was next on the list.” From the beginning, CCJRC has been opposed to private continued on 10
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