Chattanooga Councilwoman Carol BerzPossible ordinance changes could allow short-term vacation rentals to operate in Chattanooga neighborhoods under certain conditions, including the payment of a $125 certification fee.
The Chattanooga City Council will hold a public hearing on short-term vacation rentals today after its normal 3 p.m. meetings. Members of the public, determined by random drawing, may each speak for up to three minutes on the subject.
“What we are trying to do is get the Regional Planning Agency to give us their unbiased information, hear from the public and consider this potential policy to come up with a piece of legislation we are comfortable with,” Councilman Yusuf Hakeem said Monday in a phone interview. Hakeem serves as the chairman of the council’s Planning Committee.
Proposed ordinances impact both zoning and business licensing codes.
Current zoning regulations do not allow short-term vacation rentals on properties zoned under the R1 designation, which applies to single-family dwellings common to neighborhoods. Zoning rules do allow them on properties designated R3, which encompass multiple-family dwellings such as apartments and boarding houses, or R4, which also includes offices.