The City of Kelowna decided Tuesday night it would not alter the short-term rental bylaw to include secondary suites and carriage houses and the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce said it supports the sa国际传媒渄ifficult decisionsa国际传媒� council had to make.

Council was divided on the issue, but the motion was defeated with a 4-3 vote, with Mayor Colin Basran and councillors Luke Stack, Gail Given and Mohini Singh in opposition.

READ MORE: City of Kelowna defeats short-term rentals sa国际传媒榝or nowsa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淲hile we support a sharing economy and a vibrant tourist market in Kelowna, we strongly support the ability of permanent residents to access an affordable housing market,sa国际传媒� chamber president Nikki Csek said. sa国际传媒淎nd that is greatly enhanced when there are more long-term rental units on the market.sa国际传媒�

After hearing from more than a dozen residents during Tuesdaysa国际传媒檚 public hearing, Basran said things are OK as is, sa国际传媒渇or now.sa国际传媒�

Basran said it would be best if council continued to implement its Healthy Housing Strategy rather than potentially impacting the long-term rental market.

sa国际传媒淚 believe what we have in place is adequate for the time being,sa国际传媒� Basran said. sa国际传媒淚 donsa国际传媒檛 believe opening it up even further is going to help the situation.sa国际传媒�

READ MORE: Kelowna council moves ahead with regulations for short-term rentals, with a caveat

The chamber said it commends the fact councillors saw potential sa国际传媒減itfalls of the proposed amendment,sa国际传媒� Csek said.

sa国际传媒淲e also appreciate that the permanent providers of year-round overnight accommodation, such as the hoteliers, can continue their staffing and financial plans already in place without market disruption.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淲e look forward to the review of the bylaw in the fall of 2020 in order to measure the effects on the city,sa国际传媒� Csek said.