Weaverville – During the town’s March workshop, a study of short-term rentals (STR) was presented for discussion. The study was presented by Councilwoman Michele Wood.
During her presentation, Wood presented three types of rentals in the town – whole houses, guest houses, and guest suites. She said, “We’re really concerned with the whole house.” Wood explained that this issue was brought up because neighbors noticed changes in their neighborhood. “The time is right” for regulation of STRs, Wood told the council.
She then said it might surprise those in attendance to know that in Asheville, there are more STRs than hotel rooms. She explained Weaverville was not there yet as they had 83 STRs, with 58 being whole house STRs.
Wood then explained how the data was collected from AirBnB, Buncombe GIS, and Google Maps in a “best effort” to make a list as complete as possible.
“What we found is that short-term rentals are up 260% from where they were in February of 2020,” she continued, going on to state the issue came up when she and Mayor Patrick Fitzsimmons met with town staff. She also said almost half of the STRs are investor-owned.
According to Wood’s data, STRs have gone from making up 1.8% of the town’s total housing stock in 2020 to 3.7% in 2023, going on to describe how they take away from the feel of the community, reduce the housing stock, increase prices, and exclude real families from living in the neighborhoods.
“The thing that I’m hearing from my neighbors is I just want somebody next door to me, not on occasional weekends. I just want real neighbors. I want someone kids can play with, borrow their lawnmower, they can just have a real neighborhood.”
Wood worries that the town will be fighting more STRs because of the ease of building in Weaverville rather than Asheville. She suggested restricting STRs through zoning. She then talked about what other area towns are doing to address the issue, including Woodfin, which is using a permitting model allowing one permit per owner.
Wood advocates for more long-term rentals rather than STRs. She explained how people who have lived in rental housing for years are being told they have six weeks to get out and the homes are being turned into STRs, and that’s the stories that she is hearing.
“I want neighbors that when they go on vacation, I can look after their cat. If my wheel falls off my lawnmower, I can borrow theirs, that kind of thing,” she stated.
Wood said the next step is to find out what town residents are thinking with a town hall meeting. “I would like for us to prioritize regulating short-term rentals” and add to the comprehensive land planning.
When asked for questions and comments, Vice Mayor Jeff McKenna asked the staff if they had received a lot of complaints from STRs. Police Chief Ron Davis said they had about three complaints in two years. “From a law enforcement perspective, it’s been minimal,” said Davis. Town Planner James Eller said he had had one complaint in the seven-plus years he had been with the town.
McKenna said even if long-term rentals were in place, you might not have a neighbor for more than a year.
Fitzsimmons said he didn’t think calls or complaints were necessarily the problems, but the effect on the neighborhood, prices, and long-term rentals.
Councilwoman Catherine Cordell, who has an STR in a garage apartment, said STRs are needed for wedding venues, people coming to the area for classes, or to visit grandkids. She also stated that STRs are helping area residents supplement their income. She also did some research and found out that the average STRs in a community was about 5% and that Weaverville is well below that average.
McKenna said the whole house rental was convenient for a family that wanted to vacation together.
Wood appealed using a sick neighbor scenario who would they be able to call on for help. She also talked about losing voters in the town.
Councilman Doug Jackson said, “We are behind the curve,” and more input and research are needed to formulate a plan for addressing STRs. Chase said being a business in a residential district was a little disturbing to him. McKenna asked if there was a class of STRs looking to be addressed or STRs in general. Chase said it was whole house STRs.
Councilman Andrew Nagle seemed to have had enough and launched into the discussion, saying he had been quiet for an hour and now wanted his say. Nagle said he’d listen to Wood speak about not liking the color of a house. “You want real neighbors…Affordable housing that ship has sailed and is not coming back…We are the Biltmore Forest of the north.” He said his children had been priced out of living in the area. He said if you go to the beach, it’s 95% STRs. “I don’t think we have a problem.”
The issue was handed off to the planning board for more study.