After nearly a year of struggling, the Chattanooga City Council almost voted on new regulations governing short-term vacation rental operations this evening.
Instead, the council voted 9-0 to defer a vote which would establish a special district which would end short-stay property usage through zoning, replacing it with a permit process. The proposed district encompasses the city core, the North Shore and Lookout Valley.
The council moved the vote until June 27.
Until new certification rules are implemented, Chattanooga requires properties used for short-term vacation rentals to be zoned R-3 or R-4, which also allows office and apartment uses.
The decision to defer came after a number of private school officials voiced concerns over child predators using short-term vacation rentals as a means to get close to children.