New short-term vacation rental rules receive positive public response

New rules for short-term vacation rentals went over pretty well at a Chattanooga City Council public hearing on Tuesday.

A pair of proposed ordinances seek to approve the operation of short-term vacation rentals in all residential areas by means of a certification process instead of current rezoning procedures.

Out of an estimated 100 people who attended the public hearing, around 20 addressed the council. Many identified themselves as short-term vacation rental operators and described themselves as ambassadors for the city.

Sally Morrow, a South Chattanooga Airbnb host, said short-term vacation rentals allow potential transplants to Chattanooga to test out neighborhoods and the city as a whole.

"I think the proposed ordinance is a good in-between for making sure hosts, property owners, are attentive to the needs of the city and compliance with taxes, but also allows something that brings a lot of value to the city," Morrow said.

Several speakers said they favored the opportunity to do away with the current rezoning process, but also voiced concern over what they described as potentially prohibitive fire and safety code requirements. Some questioned the city's ability to ensure compliance.

Jane Pardue, a member of a Lakeshore-area homeowners' association, opposed the new regulations but added her voice to those who wanted to know how the city would enforce its own short-term vacation rental ordinances. With the city's limited code enforcement officers, the "detective work" would fall upon neighbors, pitting them against one another, she said.

Safety and property top her concerns, Pardue said.

"I know if I had a little kid running through the neighborhood, I wouldn't feel comfortable not knowing who my neighbors were," she said, adding that pedophiles, drug dealers and "things we can't even begin to imagine" could prey on neighborhoods.

Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency Director John Bridger reviewed highlights of the proposed legislation during the hearing.

A key element to opening up short-term vacation rental operation to R1 zones, the standard designation for single-family dwellings in neighborhoods, calls for limiting certification to dwellings with five bedrooms or less. In other residential zones, which include multiple-family dwellings and offices, the limit increases to nine bedrooms.

Bridger said that, in some cases, neighbors have not opposed a property's usage as a short-term vacation rental, but they did oppose R3 or R4 zoning, which would allow other things, such as apartments.

The city plans to formulate an online Frequently Asked Questions sheet based on the public hearing and other feedback.

Councilman Yusuf Hakeem, who is chairman of the council's Planning Committee, said the earliest the council would vote on the legislation would be Sept. 13.

Contact staff writer Paul Leach at 423-757-6481 or pleach@timesfreepress.com. Follow on Twitter @pleach_tfp.

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