The Sandy Springs Planning Commission recommended approval of changes to the city’s short-term rental regulations to limit how long a residence can be rented — up to 100 days.
The zoning regulations include the rental of all or part of a dwelling unit. Another recommendation before the Planning Commission at its July 20 meeting was to include all accessory structures and land attached to the property under the regulations.
“What we’re looking to do is [allow] one rental whether it’s indoors or outdoors without the property owner being there,” Community Development Director Ginger Sottile said. “If the property owner is there, they can rent two indoor, or one indoor and one outdoor, in one 24-hour period of time.”
The text amendment would limit an individual, family or group to a short-term rental of up to 100 calendar days per year, she said.
To enforce the regulations, the city can examine business licenses filed by the property owner. Rental companies such as Airbnb keep track of the days properties are rented and have to report their income, enabling another method to check enforcement. The city does contract with a company to keep track of rental days also, she said.
“The only other way really is, I would say, complaint-driven,” Sottile said. “So if you notice that your neighbor is having multiple parties at the pool a day, then you would then call and have code enforcement do an investigation. And we would try to address it that way.”
Addressing the Planning Commission during public comment, Bill Gannon said the High Point Civic Association formed an ad hoc committee to address the short-term rental situation. His own subdivision within the High Point area adopted a limit of 10% rentals out of its 30 homes. But Gannon said they aren’t sure if they can enforce their covenants.
“We certainly agree … with what staff, Ginger’s group, has put together. I would just say the more teeth we can put into that document, the better off we are,” Gannon said.