Las Vegas rejects high-rise vacation rentals bill

The Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday nixed regulations for short-term rentals in high-rises that would have established a maximum percentage within any multifamily development that could engage in home-sharing.

The bill failed 5-2, with its author, Councilman Bill Coffin, and Councilwoman Michele Fiore supporting it.

Its denial will leave multifamily residential and mixed-use developments under the same rules that broadly govern vacation rentals throughout the city.

Units must not have more than three bedrooms and be at least 660 feet from the nearest other short-term rental, defined as where rooms are rented for 31 days or fewer.

Late last month, a supermajority of residents at the Ogden condominium tower voted to govern short-term rentals for the first time since the building opened in 2008. The Ogden has become the flashpoint of sorts against illegal home-sharing.

Only one unit there is allowed to act as a short-term rental, popular with the arrival of platforms like Airbnb and HomeAway, but Coffin’s bill would have enabled roughly 13 or 14 by virtue of its plan to permit 5 percent of all units in a multifamily development.

Contact Shea Johnson at sjohnson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272. Follow @Shea_LVRJ on Twitter.