The Lower Towamensing Township Zoning Hearing Board approved a special exception for a proposed short-term rental on Covered Bridge Road.

The property in question is a redbrick house at 45 Covered Bridge Road in the Village Commercial zoning district, which allows for short-term rentals.

Duane Dellecker, the building code official for the township, said in an interview that even though this is a permitted use, the owners of the house had to come before the Zoning Hearing Board and seek a special exception because the planners of the amendment to the zoning ordinance wanted to make sure neighbors of a proposed short-term rental know about the change and are given an opportunity give their input.

“They want the neighbors to be notified. They want the neighbors to come in and express their concerns,” he said. “Basically, its one more level of review for that type of entity.”

During the hearing, Holly Heintzelman, the solicitor for the township’s Zoning Hearing Board, explained to Emily Dodwell, the owner of the house, that the township has two ordinances regarding short-term rentals. One of the ordinances is an amendment to the zoning ordinance that adds short-term rentals and was enacted on Oct. 5, 2021. The other is a stand-alone ordinance of the township that governs permits and other requirements. It was enacted on June 1, 2021 and is not under the authority of the Zoning Hearing Board.

Dodwell was then asked to provide some information about her property and her plans for it.

Dodwell said that she and her husband, who are from New York, bought the house to use as a vacation home and weekend getaway for their family. They are originally from Canada, and the house is a good point between their primary house and Canada. When they are not using the vacation house, they want to rent it out as a short-term rental.

Because they want to have access to it for their own use twice a month and during the summer, a long-term rental situation does not fit their needs and would create a hardship for them.

Dodwell said the house is about 100 years old and has four bedrooms and two bathrooms. It sits on a little more than an acre with two small parcels of land adjacent to it. A former chicken coupe is on one parcel, and the barn has been removed. A fence runs along three sides of the main property. It is near the covered bridge, but the property does not extend down to the creek.

Dodwell was asked about the sewer system on the property. She said a new septic system was installed this summer. The new system was approved by the township’s sewage enforcement officer, and they went through all the required inspections and received a permit. She said it has a 2,000 gallon tank and a 500 gallon holding tank, which should be enough for the eight-person maximum stay for the house.

Dodwell said she has a current Pennsylvania sales tax license and liability insurance on the property. She planned to apply for the short-term rental permit from the township after a decision was made at the zoning hearing.

Jim Nanovic, the solicitor for the Lower Towamensing Township supervisors, attended the meeting on behalf of the supervisors. He asked Dodwell how many parking spots would be available at the property. She said four to six. Two cars could park on one of the other parcels.

Nanovic asked her if she plans to have the spots marked for four to six vehicles.

“We haven’t gotten to the point where we’ve needed to park anyone of that number yet, but yes, we would absolutely be happy to mark out parking spots,” Dodwell said.

James Ord, the chairman of the Zoning Hearing Board, pointed out that the fence runs along Little Gap Road, so there isn’t any access to the property from that road, only Covered Bridge Road.

“It’s nice to have these things done right,” Ord said referring to Dodwell following all the requirements and getting the necessary permits.

The township requires that short-term rental properties have a manager who is available to handle the needs of the renters. Dodwell said she has a manager that is 15 minutes away from the property.

Nanovic asked for more information about the manager, and Theresa Marx testified that she is the property manager and said she lives 10 miles away in Kunkletown, 15 minutes in driving time. Marx also said she has been the manager for five other short-term rental properties. She handles cleaning the properties after the stays, provides the code for the pass code box on the door, and responds to any needs or complaints.

Nanovic asked her how she polices the properties, and Marx said there are cameras on the property. For instance, there is one at the front door. If there are more than eight people staying in the house, then she will see that.

Nanovic asked what she would do if there was a complaint, such as fireworks being used. Marx said she calls the renter first, if she can’t reach the person or that doesn’t work, then she goes to the property to address the problem.

Dodwell added that she will only rent to people 25 years old and older, and will not rent to people reserving a house for their young adult children.