Bought a house - the city won't let me use it for STR

[Aaron Williams]

I bought a house in a small college town with a severe lack of hotel capacity. I planned on using the house from time to time myself, then letting friends and family use it for free, and then renting it as an STR when otherwise vacant. The city asked me to apply for a conditional use permit and meet with the city zoning board. They explained it would be a rubber stamp and probably take all of 15 minutes. 2 hours later- and after a bunch of people appeared and spoke out against STRs and also claimed out-of-towners keep buying all the good property (mine was on the market for 168 days) my appeal was rejected. It was a horrible experience. Not sure what to do now.