South Haven
The city of South Haven is a resort city in Michigan with roughly 4,000 residents. Situated on Lake Michigan, the city offers beautiful beaches, a walkable downtown, and various cultural amenities that make it an attractive destination for both seasonal visitors, retirees, and people who have lived in the town for decades. A significant challenge for the community is balancing the economic value of tourism with the legitimate needs of people who are not involved in tourism and who see less of the benefit from it. More specifically, the community is grappling with the challenge posed by Short Term Rentals (STRs).
The Voice of the Community
Working with sponsors from the community, we started by creating a customized online interactive poll using a tool called Polis. It is a system for gathering, analyzing, and understanding what large groups of people think – expressed in their own words. We started with four participants and six comments to vote upon. Over the course of a week, the poll attracted 347 participants. Collectively, they generated 391 comments and 39,412 votes.
Our analysis of the poll results revealed a significant divide between two main groups. Group A is more likely to own STRs and have a direct financial interest in the market, while Group B is more likely to be composed of permanent residents who are not directly involved in the STR market. Despite this fundamental conflict of interests, the poll found that both groups agreed about the importance of tourism to the local economy and about the need for effective STR management and regulation. On the other hand, there were also disagreements about how to handle the impact of STRs on quality of life, availability of residential housing, and neighborhood disturbances.
Constructive Face-to-Face Dialogue
Armed with the results from the poll, we then held a 2.5 hour Dinner and a Fight/Dialogue event attended by 45 people. The group identified possible next steps, including:
- Investing in further community engagement and collaboration to foster a sense of community and collaboratively generate potential solutions.
- Balancing interests and finding common ground by focusing on shared values, and goals such as a love for South Haven, the importance of tourism for the local economy, and the need for some level of STR regulation and management.
- Using the city master plan to drive an approach that combines targeted regulations, incentives for responsible STR management, and community-driven initiatives. This approach should be grounded in a shared understanding of the problem, a commitment to fostering empathy and collaboration among stakeholders, and a focus on the long-term well-being and resilience of the community.
By focusing on areas of agreement, by fostering community engagement and collaboration, and by adopting a balanced approach to problem-solving, the community is working towards developing a sustainable, equitable, and mutually beneficial vision for STR management and the future of South Haven. To hear more, please call Ted Wetzel at 330-607-6829