VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Short term rentals, like Airbnb, could soon be coming to all Virginia Beach neighborhoods.
The planning commission is expected to make that recommendation at Tuesday night’s city council meeting.
They will likely recommend short term rentals be considered a ‘principal use,’ meaning any homeowner can turn their house into a hotel.
Current zoning laws make short term rentals illegal.
The city has been trying to get a grasp on regulating those rentals. This includes a proper parking plan, no more than two rental contracts during any consecutive seven day period, and perhaps restricting where short term rentals can take place.
Many people have mixed feelings about how strictly they should be regulated.
“Short term rentals are a part of our communities and should be allowed, but I think there are neighborhoods where they do not belong there,” Donna Watson, who wants stricter regulations, said. “And they`ve been allowed to proliferate.”
But on the other side, some people embrace the idea.
“It`s just so much easier to get an Airbnb versus a hotel room when you have five people,” realtor Marc Hrisko said. “I`m not worried about who is staying next door, people partying, coming into the hotels, and keeping us up.”
Some other issues city council is considering include how the registration and approval process would work and safety requirements for rentals.
Airbnb is popular in the resort city. The beach area leads with more than 700 rentals followed by the Princess Anne district.
Tuesday night’s meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the city council chambers. There will be a time for public comment, where you can address the issue.
