Ahead of the March 3 election, the CHSTRA reached out to each of the candidates running for commissioner in Orange, Chatham and Durham counties to get their take on STRs in our community. Below is each of their statements for you to consider as you head to the polls.
Election Day is March 3, with early voting running February 13-29. The voter registration deadline is Friday, February 7 by 5 pm.
Orange County Commissioner Candidate Stances on Short-Term Rentals
Amy Fowler, At-Large
“I would definitely be in favor of allowing local residents to rent out part or all of their home for a short term rental as long as there are agreements or ordinances in place to prevent outside corporations from buying up properties to rent out thus making affordable housing more difficult to find in Chapel Hill.”
Mark Marcopolis, At-Large (Re-election)
“I totally agree with the three main points that are made on [ChapelHillSTRA.org].
Folks should be free to augment their income. No-one should be denied the opportunity for extra income and it can keep people in their homes who may be living close to the edge, such as seniors on fixed incomes.
Short-term rentals also provide a more affordable lodging opportunity than lots of hotels and motels. My wife and I are not wealthy and we have found that we can afford to go more places (and spend some money there that we would not have done had we bypassed the place) by staying at Air BnB’s.
And related to the affordability issue mentioned above, you are absolutely right about the economical solution in regard to cooking meals.
The only part of the short-term rental landscape that I think might need some further scrutiny – and possibly some regulation – is the issue of absentee landlords. Places like that become de facto hotels and it seems like they should be treated that way. I’m not 100% sure on that position or the nuances that I am not aware of yet, but I think it needs exploration.”
Penny Rich, District 1 (Re-election)
“For the past seven years I served as the liaison from the Board of County Commissioners to the Orange County Visitors Bureau (OCVB) where the STR discussion now appears on the monthly agenda. Orange County has not taken an official stance on Short Term Rentals largely due to the fact that the majority of dwellings are in Chapel Hill, followed by Carrboro and Hillsborough and each town has a different perspective on if-and-how they will regulate short term rentals.
I do think it is important to collect and provide data on the growth of STRs, the demand from visitors, and also continue to study this growing new economy. From an economic standpoint, STRs remit occupancy taxes required through the state and visitors spend money dining out and on entertainment (yes including Tar Heel sports) throughout the county. Overall this is good for clean economic development.
My few concerns are as follows; there are some STR owners that are not in compliance with remitting occupancy taxes, standard safety issues, lack of ADA compliance, and owners buying homes/condos/apts. for the sole purpose of creating a STR business disrupting neighborhoods, and making it an uneven playing field for those that do play by the rules. There are also valid concerns about the impact of STRs on housing affordability, and we need to learn more about how they interact.”
Jean Hamilton, District 1
“I am in support of short-term rentals for primary residences with reasonable regulations that insure the health and safety of occupants, maintain a positive neighborhood environment, and insure laws are being followed without creating unfair barriers for homeowners who are looking to supplement their income. I am generally not in support of dedicated vacation rentals in residential districts that might adversely affect the stock of housing for long-term residents.”
Mark Dorosin, District 1 (Re-election)
“Short Term Rentals can meet some important needs in our community, both for property owners and for travelers needing short term, reasonably-priced accommodations (a need perhaps greater in Orange County because of the presence of UNC Hospitals). It is reasonable to adopt some basic regulatory oversight to ensure accountability of owners for health and safety of renters and for potentially adverse impacts on neighbors. Chapel Hill is currently going through a process to consider such measures.
Any administrative oversight must include provisions to protect affordable long-term rental housing (including limits on how many days/year “whole houses” can be rented and on commercial property owners). Such oversight is necessary because we already have too little affordable housing and we don’t want our efforts to increase that stock to be undermined because we didn’t think through well enough the implications of STRs.”
Renee Price, District 2 (Re-election)
“Short term rentals are trending; they are becoming the preferred option for many tourists and travelers, as well as a financial opportunity for property owners or hosts. At the same time, rules and regulations should be established to protect neighborhood character, assure fairness within the business community, and respect area residents. For example, short term rentals are part of the tourism industry and therefore hotel occupancy taxes should apply.
I believe that Orange County should proceed to plan for 21 st century lifestyles and consider short term rentals as a means of supporting and expanding our local economy. How we do business is evolving and I am willing to explore ways to curb the unintended consequences and make short term rentals an asset for the Orange County community.”
Chatham County Commissioner Candidate Stances on Short-Term Rentals
Candidate stances to be added as they are submitted to CHSTRA.
Karen Howard, District 1 (Re-election)
“I am wholeheartedly in support of communities developing policies that allow for the short-term rental of private accommodations. I think it is simply now part of the travel landscape and visitors expect to be able to access this kind of option. I have not been keeping up to date with issues regarding the short-term rental market outside of Chatham, but I do know that our local Board of Commissioner discussions have specifically indicated to planning staff that we expect our updated Unified Development Ordinance to allow for flexibility and not to prohibit short-term rentals by private owners.”
Durham County Commissioner Candidate Stances on Short-Term Rentals
Candidate stances to be added as they are submitted to CHSTRA.
Heidi Carter (Re-election)
“Commissioner Carter is focused on making affordable housing accessible to all. In some cases, short-term rentals can remove permanent housing from the market at a time when the lack of housing supply is a particular concern for our growing community, but rentals can also be a way for residents to supplement income and stay in their homes. Considering the role of short-term rentals and useful regulations would be appropriate during our ongoing Comprehensive Plan update and in our affordable housing efforts.”
Regina Mays
“As for my stance on short term rental within Durham I would love to support it due to the high population of college students, faculty and other staff that come to aide in short term studies and other needs of our universities and other companies. But unfortunately I can/will not support short term rental that can increase rent if the resident needs to extend or renew an agreement. Also with the current homeless and displaced residents of Durham County I would like to put more attention on permanent housing for county residents in that current situation.”
Wendy Jacobs (Re-election)
“The issue of short term rentals seems to be of a matter of policy discussion that may be led by Durham City government rather than Durham County Government because of the role the city plays in housing issues and would also be guided by extensive community input. We are updating our Comprehensive Land Use Plan right now with a robust community engagement process called EngageDurham and recommendations may evolve from this multi year process.
In Durham, only about 40,000 of our more than 300,000 residents live in the unincorporated parts of the county. I recently voted in favor of adoption of the City – County Expanding Housing Choice (EHC) Ordinance to support the expanded construction of ADU’s (Accessory Dwelling Units) as well as duplexes, infill and flag lots even though EHC has very limited impact to any property within the county’s jurisdiction. ADU’s can be used to increase our housing supply and housing options but also to provide housing that property owners can use for short or long term rentals and as a way to provide an additional source of income for property owners.
I am aware of concerns about short term rentals impacting the availability, cost and supply of long term rental housing and challenges related to local government collection of occupancy tax revenues. Short term rentals are clearly a part of our local economies now as an integral part of tourism and providing temporary housing for employment, education and medical care needs. Finding the balance between the needs and purposes of both short and long term rentals will be something that communities will need to come up with workable solutions to address.”