A Stillwater STR operator said the 20 percent density cap could be used to block competition rather than protect neighborhoods — the council agreed it needed more work
A Stillwater short-term rental operator warned the Stillwater City Council at its May 18 meeting that a density cap in a proposed short-term rental ordinance could be gamed — and his arguments were persuasive enough that the council tabled the ordinance on second reading rather than adopt it.
Steve Trost, director of the Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise at Oklahoma State University's Spears School of Business, introduced himself to the council as a Stillwater resident and entrepreneur who has operated a full-time short-term rental in Stillwater with his wife for four years. He disclosed his personal stake in the outcome upfront.
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