Walker County allows 10 zoning districts ranging from agricultural to residential to industrial to commercial and even one for the Chickamauga Battlefield Corridor Overlay District. And there may be one more on its way.
On Jan. 9, the Walker County Planning Commission discussed adding a new commercial agriculture district for properties hosting yurts, cabins, campgrounds, treehouses and RV parks.
The discussion on this topic has been on hold for about a year.
Last February, the commission blocked a property owner's effort to launch a 16-acre high-end camping business in Flintstone that featured 12 yurts. The owner's land, which was zoned R-2 residential, allowed for recreational activity but needed to have a conditional-use variance required of campgrounds.
At the meeting, neighboring residents protested the owner's request, and the planning commission unanimously voted to recommend the variance be denied.
Walker County Commissioner Shannon Whitfield, who had the final say, decided to table the matter until the county could first come up with regulations for short-term rentals in general.
"It's not like we want to prevent these. We [don't] want them to be a problem," Planning Commission Chairman Phillip Cantrell said at the Jan. 9 work session meeting.
The newly proposed zoning would complement county laws that came into effect last year.
Walker County now requires short-term vacation rentals in the unincorporated parts of the county to have a business license. These properties are also subject to a hotel/motel tax of 5% which will jump to 8% later this year.
Rentals are allowed in all zones appropriate for residential use.
The discussion has rekindled residents' concerns that campgrounds and yurt communities would cause disruption to existing communities. It was this fear that led the planning commission to deny the yurt campground request last year.
In his research, Cantrell said he found that marking property lines and potentially adding setbacks and buffers could alleviate privacy and noise concerns.
Planning commissioners also noted that nearby Cloudland Canyon hosts yurts and "primitive" campgrounds for standard tents, and said they would reach out to learn more about the state park's related regulations. But that won't hold up the process.
The commission sent its discussion to the county attorney to formulate an ordinance, and will continue the discussion at a later date. The matter is not currently on the Feb. 20 meeting agenda.
Email Sabrina Bodon at sbodon@timesfreepress.com.