ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Contentious short-term rental amendments will be up for discussion and a vote by the Buncombe County Planning Board on Monday.
The proposed changes stem from suggestions from the recently approved 2043 Comprehensive Plan. Several public meetings have been held on the topic, and area residents haven’t been shy about making their opinions known.
The next meeting has been set for 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 22, at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College’s Ferguson Auditorium.
The proposed changes come as the number of area short-term, or “vacation” rentals, has sharply increased.
The proposed restrictions would only apply to newly created short-term rentals, county officials said. Existing properties would be grandfathered in. The proposed rules would only be for unincorporated areas of the county, not the municipalities.
If approved by the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, the proposed text amendments to the ordinance would:
- Limit new short-term rentals to certain districts.
- Set limits on the total permitted square footage of each short-term rental.
- Prohibit such rentals in manufactured home parks and affordable housing developments.
- Create requirements around waste disposal, parking and signage.
Planning board members are expected to vote on the changes Monday. That vote does not make the proposed amendments law. The next step would be taking the proposal to county commissioners for a public hearing and official vote.
