City of Spartanburg issued the following announcement on January 25.
Change approved 4-3 on first reading, issue to be revisited through citywide comprehensive plan later this year
At their meeting on Monday, Spartanburg City Council voted 4-3 to approve on first reading a change to the City's zoning ordinance specifically prohibiting short-term rentals booked through online platforms such as AirBnB, VRBO, and HomeAway in residential areas. Council members Rob Rain, Janie Salley and Erica Brown voted against the ordinance.
In a memo to City Council, City Attorney Bob Coler said that staff has treated short-term rentals as analogous to hotels and motels, which are restricted from operating in residential areas, and that City Staff had informed property owners inquiring about such listings of the restriction. Coler added that short-term rentals often result in excessive persons, vehicles, and noise that can have a destabilizing effect on residential neighborhoods. City Staff has recently seen an increasing number of homes in the city being listed on the rental sites, leading to the recommendation that the ordinance be updated to reflect this new style of short-term rental.
While the restriction applies to all residential zones, housing units located in areas of the city, such as downtown or the city's commercial corridors, are allowed to offer short-term rentals. Council is expected to take up the issue of short-term online rentals more fully as part of the City's comprehensive plan this spring. The ordinance approved on Monday will require a second reading for final approval at City Council's next meeting on February 14.
For more from Monday's City Council meeting, see the full video below.
https://vimeo.com/669832479?embedded=true&source=video_title&owner=13959403
Original source can be found here.
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