A proposed short-term rental at 13 Arlington Street has become the flashpoint for a fight Glens Falls residents have been bracing for since the city passed its short-term rental law in 2025, with neighbors speaking at a Planning Board meeting only to watch the vote stall because the property owner never showed up.
The Glens Falls Common Council passed its short-term rental ordinance despite significant concerns about allowing the rentals into residential neighborhoods, according to The Post-Star. The law defines a hosted rental as one where a host lives onsite while guests stay for fewer than 30 days, and the Post-Star reports it does not allow unhosted short-term rentals in single-family or two-family zones. That detail sits in tension with a July 2025 city information letter, which told property owners that unhosted rentals are not allowed in R-1 and R-2 zones and that some parcels may require site-plan review before approval.
Residents near 13 Arlington Street oppose the proposed rental there, and the Planning Board could not reach a decision on the application because the property owner was absent from the meeting, per the Post-Star's reporting. Board members said the applicant must be present at a future meeting to answer questions from both the board and the public before any approval can move forward.
Neighbors Question Who's Watching the Rentals
Anne Marie McCarthy told the paper that investors and management companies are buying properties and converting residential homes into Airbnb businesses, and she said there are approximately six short-term rentals within a half-mile radius of her own home. Melissa Ives raised a string of questions at the meeting, asking how the city would verify that owners hosting rentals actually live onsite and are present during every stay, whether the city would actively monitor compliance or simply rely on owners' own statements, and what protections neighbors would have if a rental were approved but then operated as an unhosted rental. She also asked whether approval would encourage investors to buy up more neighborhood homes for short-term rentals.
Dr. Jeremy Grabbe expressed concern that unsupervised short-term rentals could compromise neighborhood safety, while Debbie Hall said she was unconvinced that progress meant losing a family neighborhood. Warren County Board of Supervisors member Ward 5 Supervisor Ben Driscoll supported his constituents' concerns about traffic and the neighborhood's suitability for short-term rentals, saying residents east of South Street need to be heard.
Traffic Pressure on a 35-MPH Street
Part of the pushback centers on Arlington Street itself, which carries a 35-mile-per-hour speed limit but has become a go-to route for traffic generated by new homes along the canal, according to the Post-Star. Glens Falls has also seen a footbridge to the feeder canal drive increased foot traffic in recent years, adding another layer to neighbors' worries about a residential street absorbing more visitor volume.
Karen Judd said the city cannot deny an applicant who shows up and meets all requirements, since the code permits hosted short-term rentals in the R-1 zone. The Planning Board must follow the law passed in 2025 when considering the Arlington Street application, and it advised residents to report unhosted short-term rentals to the city's Building and Codes Department. Short-term rental operators are required to register with both the city and Warren County.
A Law Still Being Worked Out
The ordinance includes a sunset clause allowing rentals that were already operating before the 2025 law to continue until 2027, the Post-Star reports. The city's Building and Codes Department has since moved to fully implement its permit system, and owners already registered with Warren County were told they would receive written notices outlining the steps needed to comply, according to The Post-Star.
The Common Council formally adopted the zoning amendment, which added short-term rental provisions to Chapter 220 of the city code, on Jan. 28, 2025, as reported by Citizen Portal. The council also issued a State Environmental Quality Review negative declaration at that time, finding the zoning changes would cause no significant environmental impact. Arlington Street is not an isolated case: Citizen Portal reported that the Planning Board has heard several other short-term rental applications this year, with disputes centering on whether properties qualify as hosted or unhosted, site-plan review requirements, and parking, occupancy and safety documentation.
Ward 5 residents opposing the Arlington Street proposal have raised concerns about noise disturbances, public safety and traffic tied to short-term rentals. The tension reflects a wider balancing act the Post-Star has described the city as facing between meeting affordable housing needs and sustaining a tourism-driven rental market. Until the Arlington Street applicant returns to answer questions from the board and the public, that single property remains a test case for how Glens Falls enforces the rules it adopted in 2025.
