After public backlash to a proposal that would have replaced a popular downtown barbershop with a vacation rental, the Astoria City Council has moved to amend city code to restrict vacation rentals in downtown storefronts.

Cloud 254 LLC owns the building on 11th and Commercial streets that houses Eleventh Street Barber, Godfather’s Books and a vacation rental.

In August, the Planning Commission denied an application from the owner to replace Eleventh Street Barber with a one-bedroom vacation rental. The owner indicated the barbershop could be relocated within the same building facing Commercial Street.

The application drew opposition leading up to the Planning Commission meeting, including more than a dozen letters and emails from downtown business owners and residents advocating for denial.

After the public hearing, Daryl Moore, the president of the Planning Commission, proposed considering a future code amendment to limit vacation rentals in the downtown core. City Councilor Andy Davis followed up by asking the council to consider an amendment restricting vacation rentals in downtown storefronts.

During a City Council meeting on Monday, Davis said he would like to preserve commercial storefront space downtown for restaurants and shops.

He noted that housing is allowed behind and above storefronts and said he would be in favor of setting the same standards for vacation rentals. “But I would prefer it not be at the storefront,” Davis said.

The rest of the City Council agreed, and there was unanimous consensus to send an amendment to the Planning Commission for review.

While several residents supported a change to the city’s code, they also advocated for more aggressive measures to protect housing and potential space for housing from being converted to vacation rentals.

Sarah Jane Bardy, a real estate broker with Cascade Hasson Sotheby’s International Realty who owns Eleventh Street Barber, said she would like to see code changes that also restrict vacation rentals above and behind storefronts.

“We don’t need more transient lodging,” she said. “And I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that it seems really apparent that the only people in favor of more short-term rentals are those poised to directly profit from them.”

Brenda Harper, an artist who has lived at the Astor Building downtown for more than 15 years, said it has been scary to see some of her neighbors move out and their units converted into vacation rentals.

Harper said strongly limiting vacation rentals “is the very least that we can do.”

Andrew Kipp, a resident who is active on housing issues, suggested changing the code to impose a minimum number of units permitted under conditional use as vacation rentals downtown.

For example, he said only allowing conditional use for vacation rental projects with more than 10 rooms would prevent the type of one or two unit conversions of commercial spaces into vacation rentals while still permitting uses like boutique hotels.

“This restriction would encourage property owners to use excess commercial space for long-term rental housing, providing desperately needed housing for residents, including the very workers on which our tourism industry relies,” Kipp said.

City Councilor Elisabeth Adams suggested the council take a serious look a vacation rentals in the downtown corridor as a whole, not just specific to storefronts.

“I think we need to take a look at what the impact is,” said Adams, who represents downtown. “Maybe we do not know the impact. Maybe the impact is larger or less than we think. But I think that we need to have a better understanding of that as this may be a small piece to contributing to opening more opportunities for housing.”

Davis agreed, adding that city councilors at various times have offered their perspectives on housing, including Mayor Sean Fitzpatrick, who in September argued that too much emphasis is placed on affordable housing.

“And I think we have some different reads on what’s going on or different interpretations about where we should emphasize our efforts as a city,” Davis said. “And I’d like for us to just have the chance to have a frank discussion.”