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Hudson's Common Council is set to debate a proposal tonight, Tuesday (February 24), that would double the number of days residents can rent their homes on short-term vacation platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo.
According to the Times Union, the proposed change would raise the annual rental limit from two months to four months for owner-occupied properties in the Columbia County city. The rule would apply only to homes where the owner lives on-site for at least 50 days per year.
Common Council President Margaret Morris said residents had lobbied for the change, calling it "perfectly reasonable." She described it as a "straightforward" update that could open the door to a broader review of the city's short-term rental policy.
"I think it wouldn't hurt to take a look at the whole law," Morris said at a recent meeting of the council's legal committee.
Council members backing the proposal say it would boost short-term rental revenue for the city and have "zero impact" on the long-term housing market. Vacation renters currently pay a 5% tax for each day of their stay, though it remains unclear exactly how much additional revenue the policy change would generate. Hudson has a contract with software company Azavar to track and monitor short-term rental listings across platforms.
Not everyone supports the change. Jenny Kutner, a spokesperson for Poughkeepsie-based progressive activist group For the Many, pushed back strongly against the proposal.
"Increasing vacation rentals seems like a net negative for Hudson when it's in the throes of a severe housing crisis," Kutner said. "It would exacerbate an already bad situation."
Kutner added that the spread of vacation rentals "makes prices go up for everyone" across the Hudson Valley while shrinking the supply of available housing. She also argued that short-term rentals hurt hotel workers, who tend to earn more and have greater labor protections.
"To skip the hotel is to skip staying in a place with a unionized workforce," Kutner said.
Hudson, a city of roughly 5,600 people, sits at the center of the region's long-running affordable housing crisis. Its easy access from New York City and its reputation as a tourist destination have made it a hotspot for short-term rentals. As of last Friday, dozens of properties were listed on Airbnb, while 40 homes were listed on Vrbo at prices ranging from $170 to more than $1,600 per night.
Short-term rental regulations across the Hudson Valley have tightened significantly in recent years, with many towns introducing permit caps, owner-occupancy requirements, and mandatory safety inspections. Hudson's current rules already restrict rentals to owner-occupied units, and the city charges a 4% tax on short-term stays.
Tonight's monthly Common Council meeting could result in a vote on the proposal or send it back to committee for further review.