Detroit quickly reverses ban on Airbnb after backlash
That was fast.
Airbnb rentals in Detroit were banned this week in certain neighborhoods after changes to the city's zoning ordinance went into effect.
But once hosts flagged city officials and Airbnb about cease and desist notices, it turned out no one -- not even the mayor -- knew that the partial ban was in place.
Surprise!
By Friday, the city had assured it wasn't actually going after hosts renting out rooms on Airbnb.
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Members of the city council finally spoke up about the Airbnb confusion and said they hadn't intended to limit short-term rentals in the city. In a statement, city council president pro tempore Mary Sheffield said, "My colleagues and I will be re-examining the zoning law changes to ensure there aren't any unintended and inequitable consequences negatively impacting Detroiter's ability to derive an income from their property."
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An inconspicuous line about home occupation prohibitions in certain zones in a 216-page packet of amended zoning rules had spiraled into the Airbnb ban.
Airbnb was relieved that the ban was short-lived. In a statement Friday the company said, "We applaud the city for doing the right thing and protecting every day people who are sharing their homes to pay the bills. Airbnb has partnered with hundreds of cities to develop commonsense home sharing regulations, and we look forward to collaborating with Detroit leaders moving forward."
But people weren't as amused with the city overlooking city code that was voted on and approved without much, if any, scrutiny.
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City officials got called out hard for basically not doing their jobs.
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
