Thursday night’s Athens Clarke County Planning Commission voted five to one to recommend approving short term rentals in multi family developments in both commercial zones and multi family zones. In the same motion, the planning commission voted to remove the special use permit requirement for commercial short-term rentals or STRs
Planning Commission member Mathew Hall believes that this is a good compromise to the current problem:
“With these text ordinances, by eliminating the special use permit process for RM zones, we’re cutting off a supply of new short term rentals (or a method to which you seek approval of a new short term rental). But also we’re clarifying some things about in commercial zones and in home occupation and that will provide a pathway for people to make new short term rentals who want to do so…”
The meeting’s vote will bring the issue of STRs back to the Mayor and Commission for approval.
