🎯 STRisker: Bulletin - Buena Vista, CO
Buena Vista Hits Pause on Out-of-County Short-Term Rentals
Buena Vista’s New STR Ordinance Prioritizes Locals Over Investors
Big changes are coming to Buena Vista’s short-term rental scene. In a closely split vote on September 8, the BV Board of Trustees approved an ordinance freezing out-of-county STR licenses within town limits. Trustees Micha Rosenoer, Maggie Huyck, and Cindie Swisher supported the move, while Chris Sturm and Devin Rowe opposed. Trustee Andrew Rice was absent, making it a nail-biter decision that could reshape the local housing landscape.
Until now, out-of-county STR licenses were capped at 6% of the town’s housing stock, or 119 properties, and in-county STR permits were capped at 3% (59). The new rules freeze the out-of-county cap at 119 licenses and limit in-county, non-resident licenses to 30, with no impact on STR permits for primary residences owned by BV locals. In the South Main neighborhood—a special PUD area—STRs remain uncapped, with about half of residential units there already converted.
Beyond the cap, the new ordinance packs in other significant changes: a two-year ownership requirement before a property can be turned into an STR; a ban on new out-of-county licenses in the R-1 and R1-OT residential zones; and a new formula for calculating housing stock that removes South Main and deed-restricted affordable units. These measures, trustees say, will give Buena Vista a much-needed breather to reassess its STR policy.
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For Trustee Rosenoer, the move is about protecting community character and housing for locals. “We’re just restricting it for people who are playing Monopoly with our housing stock,” she said, noting that out-of-county investors were snapping up some of the town’s most affordable homes. Trustee Huyck echoed that sentiment, stressing the importance of “containing our community and retaining” its small-town feel.
Opponents, including Trustees Rowe and Sturm, worried the freeze won’t meaningfully improve affordability and could bring unintended consequences to the local economy. Property managers like Mark Willburn—who oversees 26 STRs—acknowledged the cap might be reasonable temporarily but warned about impacts on local jobs tied to STRs.
Public input mirrored the divide: some residents praised the cap as a necessary step toward preserving community bonds, while others warned it won’t guarantee homes for local buyers. Still, the ordinance reflects a growing consensus that Buena Vista can’t continue business as usual with STRs. Trustees agreed to revisit the policy within a year, signaling the freeze is more pause than permanent.
For now, Buena Vista’s message to out-of-county STR owners is clear: local housing and community character come first.
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