AirBnB members flood Asheville city council inboxes over short term rental ordinance

San Francisco-based online vacation-lodging middleman AirBnB seems to have set its sights on opening up Asheville’s restrictions on short term rentals, according to city council member Gordon Smith.

Smith posted a message on the Asheville Politics Facebook page Saturday morning saying he has received a “deluge of emails” from potential visitors to the region expressing concern over city council’s enforcement of restrictions on rental agreements lasting less than 30 days.

Smith’s response email follows:

“Thanks for reaching out. This is a very complicated subject and even the terminology can create confusion. Reasonable people can have different opinions on the issues as well. I expect Council to make final determinations on the matters at our August 25 meeting. We’ve certainly seen an uptick in emails since AirBnB, a corporation valued at $10 billion, came to town to organize opposition to the city’s existing prohibition.

Asheville is in the midst of an affordable housing crisis. There are currently 0% vacancy rates for all rental units except the most expensive, and only 1/4 of available for-sale housing is within the reach of 2/3 of our population. You can learn more about the housing shortage here: http://www.slideshare.net/gordo…/11-asheville-city-hna-14462

Further, the integrity of our city’s neighborhoods is critical to maintaining our quality of life. In other destination communities, Short Term Rentals have hollowed out whole neighborhoods.

Some clarification of terms is in order. These are taken from this City of Asheville page: http://coablog.ashevillenc.gov/…/Short-Term-Rentals-Handout…

Homestays: A homestay, as defined in the UDO, is an owner-occupied single family home with more than 2,500 square feet, and offering one to three guest rooms. This use allows the owner to rent rooms in the home for less than 30 days as long as the owner resides in the home on a full-time, permanent basis.

Short-Term Rental: Short-term rental is the renting of property for overnight stays less than 30 days. The owner does not reside in the home.

I am in favor of enforcing the existing prohibition on Short Term Rental in residentially zoned areas. I am also in favor of allowing Homestays and reducing restrictions on doing so. I believe this approach will free up housing units for long term rental and sale while still allowing homeowners and property owners to tap directly into the tourism market and offer rental properties to residents. Socioeconomic diversity is vital to Asheville’s health, and our multifaceted approach to the housing shortage must take STRs into consideration. Already there are investors buying up our housing stock for use by tourists. We can bring on an enforcement mechanism, and keeping the rules simple and understandable will help everyone comply. You can learn more about the City of Asheville Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy here: http://www.slideshare.net/…/comprehensive-affordable-housin…

I hope this clarifies my position and reasoning, and I am very open to answering any other questions you might have. I spent a great deal of time studying, listening, and soul-searching before arriving at my position on this important set of issues.

Best,

Gordon

Smith has been outspoken over his reservations of expanding short term rental allowances in Asheville, stating in a May 12 city council meeting that “it is not incumbent upon us to cater to tourists” and expressing concerns that short term rentals could place an additional burden on an already strained housing market.

Public debate over short term rental restrictions has gone back and forth in recent months, with proponents arguing that short term rentals can bolster the economy by putting tourism dollars in the hands of property owners while opponents say that short term rentals will only exacerbate the current housing shortage.

Xpress highlighted the ongoing discussion between city, state, and private organizations over Asheville’s short term rental ordinances in a June 17 article “Leveling the playing field”. Since then, several residents have questioned the city’s approach to short term rental demands and whether the current restrictions are over-reaching.

Asheville city council is currently considering a draft amendment to the ordinance that would open up restrictions for “Homestay” rentals (where visitors temporarily sublet a room while the principle homeowner is present full-time). Another revision would increase the fine for those in violation of UDO provisions from $100 a day to $500. City council is expected to vote on the final approval of the amendments later this month at its Tuesday, August 25 meeting.