The
Journal of the POCONO PLATEAU ©2024, All Rights Reserved
VOLUME 28, NUMBER 19
Late February-Early March, 2024
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STR amendment draws crowd to Toby Township meeting by Seth Isenberg Tobyhanna Township supervisors’ February meeting, held on the 20th, featured an overflowing room of Short-Term-Rental owners and neighbors of STRs. The topic was second on the agenda to a hearing about the proposed new building on the former Blakeslee Inn/Sportsman property to house a behavioral treatment facility. The hearing attracted one objector, a neighbor. With no others to speak, the hearing was closed. The proposed amendment to the STR ordinance would set into place a rule where total occupancy is two people per bedroom, plus two. Also in the amendment is a cap on the total number of STRs allowed in the township at 10% of the township’s ‘personal’ homes, which total 7,440. The cap is proposed at 750, and the number of applications so far in 2024
is 871. Of those, some have been withdrawn, others are flawed, and about 687 are through approval. Speakers complained about Driftwood Drive in Greenwood Acres where there are seven STRs on a street with 24 homes — one with nine bedrooms; and about Emerald Lakes where STRs are nearly a third of the community. Behaviors of loud parties late into the night, and skinny dipping were noted. Jim Smyth of Camelot Forest complained about a seven-bedroom home whose renters park the street up, and blocks an emergency gate. “It’s mayhem.” As to the parties, parking and boorish behavior, citizens were told to call the police, and call the STR Hotline. Alexis Wilkinson, local STR Rental enforcement officer at Bureau Veritas in the Pocono Pines office, passed around her business card and invited
people to call. She and her team are working “to create actions from data.” Two of the speakers defended the good job they do with their STRs, being good neighbors and advocating others to be the same. These owners favor ‘aggressive enforcement’ of the Township’s STR rules. An issue about being able to sell a home with an STR license in good standing, to operate as an STR for the new owner, was agreed to be considered. Current owners fear being put at the back of the line behind the cap figure, unable to sell their businesses. Supervisors decided to explore the portability issue, and look closer at the cap. Regular business went quickly after the STRs finished: Pocono Summit Volunteer Fire Co. responded to 50 calls in January, 34 of those in Tobyhanna Twp.; See TOBYHANNA TWP, page 6
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Sue Tarrant of Pocono Lake shops for wreaths at the first Craft Fair held since the renovation of the Blakeslee Community Center. The event, on February 18, drew a good crowd with lots of varied vendors. For the full story, see page 3. JP: Lor R. Cooper
Rachel Wild, Saylorsburg, Pa.