The Buncombe County government is breathing new life into its effort to regulate short-term rentals with the creation of a new advisory committee.
Community members are invited to apply for the committee, which will present the Planning Board with its findings in the fall.
“The goal of this group will be to thoroughly evaluate short-term rental regulations, identify policy implications, and provide feedback,” the Buncombe County Commission said in a press release Thursday.
The group is expected to meet in September and October, with up to three meetings each month. Then, in November, it will deliver its findings to the Buncombe County Planning Board, which will then make a presentation to the County Commission.
The news of the committee’s formation comes after the Planning Board voted in late April to postpone consideration of the much-debated regulations for at least 100 days amid pushback from short-term rental owners and others opposed to the proposal.
In the months since, the draft regulations have been in limbo. In a presentation to the County Commission in late May, Planning Board Chair Nancy Waldrop explained the board’s reasons for postponing a vote and asked County Commission members for help assembling a community task force.
Short-term rentals — such as those found on website like Airbnb and VRBO — represented about 4.5% of Buncombe County’s total housing stock in 2022, according to AirDNA data provided by the Planning Board.
Proponents of regulations say they would help address the county’s region’s housing shortage; Buncombe County is expected to need nearly 40,000 more homes by 2050 just to keep up with population growth.
Opponents argue that short-term rentals provide an important revenue stream to residents and that there is a lack of data showing that limiting their growth would affect housing affordability.
The Short-Term Rental Alliance, a local group that has helped organize the opposition to the draft regulations, welcomed the news of the committee's formation.
"The STR Alliance is pleased the county has created a new task force to look into regulating STRs," the alliance's chair, Chip Craig, said in a statement. "We anticipate our alliance will have a seat at the table and we are excited about creating a common-sense ordinance to regulate short-term rentals."
According to Thursday’s release, the County Commission is seeking representation from six categories:
- Real estate industry
- Property owners who actively rent short-term rentals (singular owner)
- Property owners who actively rent short-term rentals (corporate owner)
- Affordable housing advocates
- Owners of businesses that support the short-term rental industry, such as management or cleaning companies
- Community at-large representative
The group may also include members of the Planning Board.
Applications can be submitted online here and must be received by July 31, 2024.
This story has been updated to include a statement from the Short-Term Rental Alliance.
