Asheville City Council will consider amendments to update and clarify standards regulating homestays at its Nov. 17 meeting. There will be an opportunity for members of the public to provide feedback to Council on these specific amendments during the public hearing portion of the meeting. We encourage residents to attend and provide input.
Council considered amendments updating homestay standards to Council at its Aug. 25 meeting. Council heard a significant amount of public comment regarding the homestay regulations. Council provided input and delayed a vote to allow time for staff to consider Council’s concerns, which included minimizing neighborhood impacts and maintaining the health and safety of both residents and visitors. Also at that meeting, Council voted to increase fines for illegal short-term vacation rentals from $100 to $500 per day. Since that time, the City has hired an enforcement employee and active enforcement is now in place.
Specific areas of the original homestays proposal reviewed and reconsidered in the updated proposal presented at Council’s Oct. 20 Planning and Economic Development (PED) Committee meeting included the off-street parking requirement, the number of rentable bedrooms allowed and the definition of a full-time resident. You can read the staff report provided to PED here. The final staff report to Council is available as a link on the Nov. 17 agenda.