David MartinLet’s start by giving credit where credit is due: Chattanooga City Council’s continued attempts to craft sensible rules around short-term vacation rentals is commendable.
The council could have easily tabled the matter once more, punting and waiting on the General Assembly in Nashville to pass some kind of statewide law. But no, the issue is on the docket again after last year’s botched attempt, brought back by District 1 Councilman Chip Henderson.
Henderson’s new proposal calls for a certification process that all homeowners wishing to rent their properties (typically on websites like Airbnb) must complete, as well as the creation of a “district” wherein short-term rentals are confined.
This rental zone extends from Missionary Ridge to the foot of Lookout Mountain, and from the North Shore to the Georgia line. Lookout Valley is included too, and individual council members would have the ability to propose new additions to the district “as they see fit” (read: if enough voters in a particular part of town demand inclusion).
Quoted earlier this month, an optimistic Henderson said, “This should get everybody [on the council] on board.”