Spring has sprung, its buds promising the annual return of the beauty of the Poconos.

Hotels and resorts will fill as out-of-towners arrive to experience the grandeur.

But for others — especially some locals — the experience won’t be quite as grand.

As those tourists arrive, they’ll rekindle a debate that’s long been an issue in the region over short-term rentals (STRs) that offer an alternative to the often crowded, larger places to stay during their visit.

The dilemma has become sort of a lightning rod in some places, sparking debate over parking, noise and trash in the quiet communities where locals live year-round.

A recent session in Harrisburg gathered testimony on the topic in hopes of finding a common ground in a region where short-term stays at any facility bring long-term revenue.

The controversy has been around for a long time but has heightened when platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo took off.

Local zoners wrote laws for year-round residents and occasional vacation homes. But as more people found their properties could generate some cash, municipalities began treating STRs as permitted single family homes.

Others viewed them as unlicensed hotels, hence the discord.

The state courts stepped in with a ruling in 2019 that held a home used only for tourists wasn’t permitted in a single-family residential district that required a “single housekeeping unit,” even if the ordinance didn’t mention short-term rentals.

Instantly, that ruling gave local governments the ability to ban or restrict STRs without changing ordinances, prompting crackdowns on how and where they can operate.

At the same time, the Poconos was exploding in a surge of buyers and visitors after COVID. Visitor spending skyrocketed and supports about 40,000 jobs — a huge chunk of local workers.

STRs funnel a large part of that cash into neighborhoods that don’t have hotels. A recent report shows that guests who stay short-term generate nearly four times as much revenue for surrounding businesses as hotel guests on a per-visit basis.

But the situation brings some negatives, especially for full-time residents.

Extra cars squeeze by on narrow roads. Loud, late night noise pierces once quiet neighborhoods. Trash pops up in streets or adjacent properties where the locals see the changes as a revolving door for tourism.

In lake communities or mountain developments — places never designed to handle the volume — the concerns are real.

There’s another reality.

Tourism helps fund the tax base, supports small businesses and offers owners — even though many are absentee owners — the chance to afford and maintain the older-style housing that adds and expands the area’s allure.

As some of the STR restrictions have been put into place, pushback from the courts maintain that a single-family home can still be rented short-term when occupants are eating, sleeping and living in the location, even if it’s only for a brief time.

Judges are leaving it to local governments to regulate STRs as long as its careful and consistent.

Some of the reporting in this newspaper has indicated some alleged problems in some areas. Other reporting shows STRs as being in compliance and complaint-free.

In a sense, those stories are a reflection of what the courts are saying — like anything else, some STRs are good, and some aren’t.

Somewhere in between, there’s a middle ground — a place where both can coexist with practical solutions, not punitive ones.

Local governments need clear zoning language that explains what an STR is and where it can operate.

They should also focus on behavior. The same complaints about a raucous neighborhood property might be made about someone’s cousins visiting for a vacation.

They might consider things like septic limits and parking spots as ways to limit occupancy.

On the positive side, governments might show permanent residents how STRs could benefit their community. Putting some of the money from fees to pay for small improvements or more code enforcement would let year-round residents see a direct return.

We’ve heard many stories about party houses and worst-case incidents, but the other stories like the ones that help families keep an heirloom cabin by renting it for a few months are seldom told.

The contractors who earn their keep maintaining those places and the restaurants that stay open because of the STR money often go without mention.

It’s time to try to put an end to an “us versus them” mentality regarding STRs.

Better rules, better enforcement and a change in attitude would help make that easier.

Making the region a welcoming place is a long-term goal.

And short-term rentals have become an important part of reaching it.

ED SOCHA | tneditor@tnonline.com

Ed Socha is a retired newspaper editor with more than 45 years’ experience in community journalism.

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC