The owner of the Baker Tower, also known as Hotel Baker, plans to turn unused office space on the fifth floor of the 10-story structure into short-term rental housing.

Patrick Rhea, who owns the historic building at the northwest corner of Main Street and Auburn Avenue, said he’s renovating the space to meet residential standards.

Rhea said he’s aware that a recent post on a local Facebook group, along with comments to it, raised the question of whether the space would be used as housing for homeless residents.

That’s not the case, Rhea said, but the confusion seems to have stemmed from the term “transient lodging,” which is included in his application to the Baker City/County Planning Department, which department staff approved.

Transient is sometimes used as a synonym for homeless, but the word, when used to describe a type of housing or lodging, also means temporary quarters, including motel rooms.

The tax that guests in motels, bed and breakfasts and vacation rental homes is called the “transient lodging tax” in many jurisdictions, including Baker County.

The planning department approved Rhea’s general proposal with a two-year timeline during which he would need to obtain a building permit and pay for city inspections before renting the residential spaces.