Nashville Airbnb fans, foes collide at Metro Council
A raging fight over Airbnb and other short-term rentals in Nashville spilled into the Metro Council on Tuesday night, with neighborhood activists demanding new stricter limits and hosts defending the popular form of lodging.
The two sides squared off at a public hearing that lasted two hours on a bill outlining regulations for short-term rental properties, or STRPs, to replace a prior ordinance that a judge ruled unconstitutional in October.
Council members heard an earful in what marked the most significant display of conflict to enter the council chambers on the issue.
Foes — fed up with next-door homes becoming party houses used by out-of-town guests — came in droves. They used the opportunity to rally around one primary demand: that the council amend the bill by outlawing what are known as non-owner-occupied short-term rental properties. This classification is when a property owner, often an investor, rents out a home on a short-term basis to guests but does not live there.
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A large contingent of opponents, which included members of the Nashville Neighborhood Alliance, wore T-shirts reading, “Nashville’s neighborhoods: Homes. Not Hotels."
“We purchased homes to live in residential areas, not commercial ones,” said Tom Hardin, who lives in the Edgefield neighborhood of East Nashville and near two non-owner-occupied STRPs. “Out-of-town vacationers are not neighbors. They come to play. They do not come to contribute to the development of stable, safe neighborhoods.
“Non-owner-occupied STRPs drive up rent,” he added. “They make the market for affordable housing more expensive. This is a critical concern in Nashville, as I’m sure you’re aware.”
The bill, sponsored by council members Bob Mendes and Burkley Allen, was ultimately deferred Tuesday for consideration until next month. But several members made clear they support changes favored by neighborhood advocates.
Among them, Councilwoman Sheri Weiner said she intends to either file legislation to place a moratorium on granting permits for new non-owner-occupied STRPs or seek to stop the practice by amending the bill.
"What we don't want to do in Nashville is commercialize our homes," she said.
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During the public hearing, short-term rental hosts pledged support for the revised ordinance as written, which addresses issues Davidson County Circuit Judge Kelvin Jones raised on the law’s vagueness but does not change the scope of the regulations — which include caps on guests allowed, short-term rentals per neighborhood and tax requirements, among other things.
Supporters of STRPs said they aren’t against all regulations but argued they shouldn’t be stopped altogether from making a living. They said their industry offers an affordable travel arrangement, generates tax dollars for Metro and maintained that most guests aren’t the partygoers that opponents make them out to be.
“We’ve taken enormous strides to preserve the quality of life for our neighbors and the community,” said Molly Collins of East Nashville, who rents out a home a mile away from her residence. “And we believe that short-term rentals, when managed with thoughtfulness and care, do wonderful things for the community and greater good of Nashville.
“You’ve heard about noises, party houses and bad behavior from unregulated (non-owner-occupied homes), but there are many who follow the rules and who are thoughtful hosts.”
Both sides sought to appeal to the council's reputation as a progressive body, arguing that their position was the more forward-thinking.
Even proponents of short-term rentals in Nashville have acknowledged that enforcement of existing regulations has proved challenging.
In a push for better enforcement, Mayor Megan Barry recently announced plans for Metro to purchase new computer software and increase staffing of the Metro Codes department.
Reach Joey Garrison at 615-259-8236 and on Twitter @joeygarrison.